


Marked Up

by Luna Draconis (LunaDraconis)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BDSM, Claiming Bites, Demisexuality, Dom/sub, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Heartbeat Kink, Kinky, Language, Love Bites, Multi, Multiple Doms, Multiple Partners, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Female Character, POV Original Female Character, Polyamory, Sass, Shared Sub, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, dragon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-06-02 09:05:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 25,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6560356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaDraconis/pseuds/Luna%20Draconis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luna is a powerful girl in the Marvel Universe. She has four soulmate marks, two of which she doesn't understand. She's not interested at all in finding her soulmates. Nor does she want to use her powers. She is lying low, but all of that's about to change.</p><p>Note: chapters are incredibly short, so if that bothers you, I'd highly recommend switching to "Entire Work" mode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Initiative

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments/feedback are appreciated.
> 
> This is all based on a dream I had, so it's not canon compliant. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Everyone knew who the Avengers were. How could we not? They were always on the news, and their ridiculous fanclubs alone were enough to keep them on your Facebook feed 24/7. So, yes, I knew who they were... Nick Fury, however, was a name I did not recognize. 

"How can I help you, Mr. Fury?" I asked, fidgeting in my too-thin-for-Autumn nightshirt. _If he asks me if I've heard of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I swear..._

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

My blood ran cold. No. Not now. Not after all this time. I've lived as a good little human girl too long for someone to find me now. "What-" I had to clear my throat. "What is that?" I strove for innocent, but I knew I was too pale to pass for it.

"We know you're not.... human, Ms. Draconis. And we'd love to give you an opportunity to serve Earth."

"Well, that sounds inter-" I slammed the door. _Nope. Nope-nope-nope-nope-nope. Nope. It's too early for this shit._ I ran for the back door, flinging it open and shifting through space to the edge of an open field just outside the city. I would try to return home in a month or so, but until then, I'd be on the lam.

I made my way to the old oak tree, home to my own, handy-dandy bug-out bag. It contained new credit cards under an alias, cash, and some clothes. Fortunately, my... abilities... had allowed me to get money discretely. If I wasn't trying to stay out of the spotlight, I could be living it up. I sat under the oak tree, bag in hand. _Well, now what? I guess I could go see what I'm up against..._ I reached out with my mind. This was one ability that I had practiced frequently when I was younger - Okay, so I was peeking in on the hot guys' dirty thoughts, can you blame me? - But it was still a bit rusty. It took me longer than I care to admit to find a mind carrying the information I needed. _Stark's holding a party? Figures. I could slip in, as a waiter, no one would ever know... Perfect._

I hitched my bag over my shoulder. I had plans to make.


	2. Don't Mind If I Do

_Does ANYONE look good in this?_ I adjusted the shapeless vest for the hundredth time, hoping against all hope that it would magically become more flattering. It didn't. For being such a swanky caterer, they were lousy on checking to make sure the temps they hired were actually sent by the temp agency. I'd basically strolled in and had a uniform thrown at me. To be fair, they'd had at least two call in sick at the last second, so they were shorthanded, but still... sloppy work. And no, I didn't do anything to arrange that. I'm not that much of a bitch.

 _In, out, and no one the wiser._ I repeated to myself. I stepped out onto the floor of the party. As expected, no one actually looks at the help. Snobs. The other benefit of keeping a low profile? I don't have to deal with the high-society jackasses. I continued circulating, until I set eyes on one of the Avengers. Bruce Banner was grinning away, deep in conversation. It looked like no one had offered them the overly-complicated finger-food recently, so I quickly changed course. As I stepped up to the conversation, Banner turned eyes to me, going so far as to make eye contact. No one had acknowledged me, much less looked me in the eye, and, as much as I hate to admit it, it threw me off. So it _really_ didn't help when Tony Stark turned around and poured that melted-chocolate gaze on me. Suffice to say, I'm not the best under pressure.

"See something you like?" _Fuck. Really, Luna?_

I could see Banner trying to hold it together. "Don't mind if I do." He took one of the hors d'oeuvres, smiling soothingly. I'd already made a terrible mistake. You know what I'd done: _I'd looked away from my target._

"I'd love to have a bite," he purred in my ear. _I take it back; the fanclubs are onto something...._

I could feel his breath, warm against the nape of my neck. I knew the exact moment his breath caught. I'll never forget it, because I realized the cause a second later; those words, "I'd love to have a bite" have been riding the curve of my neck since puberty. I'm one of the few (un)lucky people to have more than one soulmate mark. Yes, I said it, unlucky. Me + men = bad things. Very bad things. And I was going to be stuck with four of them. Bright side? With my reclusive lifestyle, I was highly unlikely to run into them. Point three for the hermit-over-society-lady lifestyle. But here I was, trying to get a read on the people that would be hunting me down, and who do I find out is one of my soulmates? Tony Fucking Stark. See? I told you. Very bad things. 

His breath caught, as he realized. A moment later, I heard him chuckle, and it's all I could do not to drop the tray as the shivers ran down my spine. I'd pay good money to hear that laugh. A hundred a minute. That distraction was mistake number three - four? So hard to keep track - of the night. 

Next thing I knew, his teeth were closing down over his mark, right at the point where my neck met my shoulder, and I was lost. I sagged into his touch, feeling like a piece of myself I'd never known I was missing had fallen into place. I could stay there for an eternity. I could-

_**CRASH** _

Everything came back into focus as we straightened with a jolt; I'd dropped my serving tray. _Saved by the tray._ I looked around to see all the eyes in the room focused on me. Which didn't bother me until I saw a pair - or rather one - eye looking back. _Shit, cueball saw me. Time to scoot!_ I made a dash for the balcony, not wanting to take one of the prissy-pants with me, when the world went black.


	3. To Avenge, or Not To Avenge

I woke with Nick Fury sitting next to my bed, just waiting. _Damn that man's patience... Though I guess dealing with Mr. Stark has given him plenty of practice._ I giggled internally for only a fraction of a second before everything hit me. I was in Avengers Tower (which is still Stark Tower in my head, call me sentimental). I wasn't dreaming. The director of a government agency was sitting by my bed. One of my soulmates had found me. Said soulmate was Iron Man. 

I was not in a laughing mood anymore. I stared at Nick Fury for a moment. Then I realized I'm not patient.

"So, am I going to jail, or what?" 

He actually looked genuinely surprised. Huh. "Or what. You ran off before I could explain."

"Explain what?"

"I want you to join the Avengers."

I just stared at him, dumbfounded. 

"I beg your pardon?"

"I want you to join the Avengers. From what we've seen, you're a good match for the team, as far as personality goes. And you're powerful enough to make a difference in the world. I'm just giving you an opportunity to use those powers."

"But I-"

"SIR!" An agent burst into the room. I could smell the stress and frustration on his skin.

"What is it?" Fury demanded.

"We've found him. He's-"

"I'll meet you in the common room, and we'll brief the Avengers."

"Yes, sir!" He flew out the door again, rushing to assemble the Avengers.

"Are you in?" Fury's eyes were on me again.

 _Am I?_ "I dunno... Let me think about it?"

Fury looked at me a moment, then, "I've got a proposition for you. You run this mission with the team. If it feels right, you stay on, become an Avenger. If it doesn't, I'll personally ensure no U.S. agency comes looking for you again. And I'll keep an ear to the ground for any other countries looking to 'recruit' you. Deal?"

 _Well, shitballs, it's not gonna get any better than that...._ "Deal.... I guess..."


	4. Calling Captain Catastrophe

So now I'm sitting in a plane with the Avengers themselves.

And hey, guess who's going to... Okay, so I don't know where we're going. No one ever tells me anything, and today's no exception. But I know we're running a rescue mission, so that's a plus. And who are we going to rescue? Captain America himself. Captain. America. Yeah, _that_ Captain America. I've never been much of a Cap fan - by which I mean I know even less about him than the other Avengers - but he seems to be pretty popular, and he's an antique, which I guess is pretty cool. _First day on the job, and I'm already having to save his ass. If I join the team, I'm never going to let him live this down._

Bruce, Natasha, and Clint are keeping up the conversation, trying to make me feel... welcome, I guess. Hell, they even told me to call them by their first names, like we're friends. It's an unexpected sensation, but not unwelcome.

At first Stark was making direct come-ons, but now he's halfway between trying not to scare me off and sulking. _If I wasn't demisexual.... Dang. That's all I can say._

Natasha gets us up, directs us to jump out of the plane. One by one they jump, leaving me for last. They were reluctant to let me be last until I explained I was worried about my wings getting tangled up in parachutes. That was a fun conversation... 

Tony, having been first jumper, is first to land. He scans the surrounding woods for incoming unfriendlies, but finds nothing. Score one for sneakiness.

Sneakiness goes out the window the second we enter the (ironically) windowless entryway. It goes out the figurative window with a literal hail of bullets.

The fight doesn't last long, not with two assassins, a hulk, an Iron Man, and a fired-up goddess of sassiness (that's me, in case you were wondering). The trend holds all through the compound to the holding cell. Sure enough, there's Captain America, the star-spangled soldier himself, just as expected. And next to him...

 _No way! I can't believe it, there's no way-_

"I thought Loki was offworld?" Clint breaks through my chain of thought.

"Everyone did..." Natasha doesn't look pleased.

"What do we do?" Clint asks.

"We're not leaving a man behind." Natasha replies.

Tony's been working on the control panel, successfully apparently, as the doors hiss open. "Last time you were this far off-grid, we had to thaw your ass, Capsicle."

"Can it, Stark. We've gotta get out of here, before-" He cuts himself off as he sees me.

"This is Luna. She's new," Clint offers.

Cap nodds. "I've got a rough idea of how we're going to get out of here." He started laying out his plan, which was not too shabby, to be honest. "And I'm not too sure how we'll make it through there, but-"

"Luna can do it." Natasha cuts in.

"What?" Cap looks surprised.

"She's powerful, and can handle it." Natasha looks at me for confirmation, so I nod. 

Cap shakes his head. "No, I think we'll handle this part. But she can be on reload duty, especially for these rough patches."

"I'm not doing that!" I've had enough.

Cap's eyes went from serious to downright deadly. "You will do as I say." He states, coldly. 

We glare at each other for a moment, until it hits me... _That phrase sounded awfully familiar..._ The widening of my eyes must have clued him in, because a second later his eyes widen in response. Great. In what, 36 hours? I've gone from zero to two soulmates. Fan-freaking-tastic.


	5. Hauling (and Kicking) Ass

_Plans never go off without a hitch. But when you've got a team like ours, it doesn't even matter.Wait, did I just think of it as 'our' team? Oh, that can't be good..._ We are shooting through the compound like bats out of hell. I have Loki on a magic hammock, suspended behind me as we move through the compound. Finally, we can see the last set of doors.

"Finally!" I could almost cry, seeing those doors. If I were the crying type, which I'm not. _There are those moments when my eyelashes attack my eyes that just so happen to coincide with the death of my favorite character, but that's unrelated. You believe me, right? No? Damn._

You know that moment when you have to pee, and you are willing to forget the rest of existence in that moment when you see the bathroom door open and waiting for you? Yeah, not a great moment of judgment. I was making my way to freedom, when I saw it. A flash of light, a flicker of movement, I don't know. What I do know is I saw it just in time to move. The bullet catches me just above my hip, and I've never regretted anything so much. Will it heal? Yes. Does it hurt like a bitch? Yes. Did my eyelashes attack my eyes immediately afterwards? You bet your sweet ass they did.

Clint gets a shot off at impressive speed, and true to form, the shot was lethal. Not that I care much at this point. All I want is a sinfully soft bed and as many pain pills as I can get my hands on.

"Are you alright?" I realize Natasha is standing over where I have collapsed, half flung over Loki's unconscious form, half on the ground. It is hard to concentrate on her, the pain seems to dull everything else, as if it would make itself sharper in contrast. 

"Ye-yeah." I manage. "Let's get out of here."

Stark has the plane waiting for us on the runway behind the compound. I've never loved someone so much in my life. _Okay, maybe we could be slightly compatible._


	6. Well, it's not Club Med...

As we arrive back at Avengers Tower, we're greeted by an anxious Fury. _Wow, never pictured him as the mother hen type..._ Loki and I are carried off the plane; he's unconscious, and Cap's a worrier. 

"I can walk, you know." 

Cap just glares at me. _I tried. I did! That means I get to enjoy it now, right?_ The realization that every step hurts enough to make my vision fog for a second tells me I'm not going to be enjoying much of anything for a while. 

"What happened? What's _he_ doing here?"

"He was in the compound." Cap barks out. "I'll come for debriefing after I drop..." he glances at me, "these two off."

As Cap brings Loki and I to Med, the others go with Fury to the common room. I can tell Fury wants to talk with me, and wants to know _exactly_ what the look Cap gave me means, but he goes with them. Cap doesn't say anything the entire way to Med, and neither do I. In my defense, I am in pain, and it's not easy to keep a demigod suspended in midair when your focus is going haywire. I mean, I haven't even sassed anyone in a good ten minutes, so you know I'm hurting. When we reach the medical bay, I put Loki down first, and Cap carries me to the next bed. He puts me down surprisingly gently, for someone of his strength. I always imagined he'd have a hard time controlling that strength... But I suppose he's had a hell of a long time to figure that out. He looks like he wants to say something, but shakes his head and walks away as the team doctors descend. Thankfully, they've got some powerful sedatives - probably due to working on demigods and super soldiers - and they're able to actually knock me out for the procedure.


	7. Rule Number 1

The doctors love me. _Who doesn't, am I right?_ They've never had someone heal so quickly from anything before. In all honesty, I've never healed so slowly before. I mean, it took me almost two weeks. I even have a small, star-shaped scar over my hip, which has never happened before. I'm not sure why, but I'm just happy to be healed up. 

Loki's up and about, too. When they introduced us, he looked me up and down, quirked one of his eyebrows, and sneered. He didn't even talk to me. I saved that boy's life and he doesn't even... Granted, no one brought that up, but still. Jerk. Apparently he's still "holier-than-thou" when it comes to humans. Doesn't that just figure?

I stride into the almost- empty common room. "What's up?" Stark and Cap turn to face me. Clint, the only other person in the room, looks at the boys, looks at me, and bolts out of the room. _Not a bad idea._ I make to follow his example.

"Wait." Cap stalks across the common room. "We've got to talk."

"And we've done that, so now I'm just gonna..." I remember I'm hella out of shape. And Mr. Super-Soldier is not. Damn.

"No, you're not. Tony and I got to talking-"

"Luna! You're up!" I've never been so happy to see Cueball - or anyone else, for that matter - in my life. "Come on, I'll debrief you."

"You heard the man. Me. Briefs-less. Now. Toodles." I scamper behind Fury's intimidating figure. Cap scowls after us. Stark's more preoccupied, presumably with picturing me "briefs-less."

We head into Fury's office. I'm so grateful to be out from under the analytical stares of Cap and Stark that I hug him. He freezes, then pats my head. Huh, guess he doesn't get hugged much. Go figure. "So, what do you think of my team?" 

"They look like they've got things under control without me." I reply.

"Maybe, maybe. But I was listening in on those coms. I debriefed the others. Everyone agrees that you made it look easy, and were pulling more than your own weight on that mission." 

That makes me fidgety. I don't do well with complements. "I guess..."

"And Miss Romanoff has taken a liking to you."

That gets my attention. "What?"

"I know, surprised me, too, but she's said she's willing to train you in hand-to-hand if you join up."

Black Widow is a fuckin' badass, and everyone knows it. "Maybe I could hang around for a little while..." _I mean, sure I'll have to deal with two of my soulmates, but hey, they're not too hard on the eyes._

"Good. I'll go pull up the paperwork, and I'll send agents to get your things."

"No!"

"What?"

"Um... I mean.... I'd prefer to get my own stuff. Maybe just send some moving people to help me? But I want to be in charge." _Specifically, I want to be in charge of the bedside table drawer. The amount of batteries I have on hand alone is something I'd rather keep to myself, not to mention my *ahem* marital aids._

Fury looks at me like I grew another eye. _Eye envy, maybe?_ But he agrees.

I get to my house and start packing things up, starting with my favorite bedside drawer. Wouldn't want that to get left behind! The moving van pulls up sooner than expected, and I start giving instructions on what to pack and what to leave. The moving guys give me the heebie-jeebies, but I ignore it. I mean, I'm not even human. What's the worst they could do? 

Rule Number 1: Never underestimate your opponent.


	8. A White Lab Coat, and a Pink... Tarnation.

I wake up in a bright room. The walls, floor, and ceiling are pristine, blinding white. _Huh, not how I pictured being a hostage..._ I look around, trying to find ANY sign of where I am, or who has me. Nothing. Just more and more white. _I have_ got _to get the name of their cleaning crew. Whatever they're paying, it's not enough._ My sides ache. With my hands cuffed over my head, I'm far from comfortable, but the tension tells me two things. One, I've been here for a while. With the way my body is, I'm guessing about a week. Two, I've been kept unconscious. I mean, I love sleep, but even I can't do it for that long at a time.

I'm still trying to determine as much as possible when the door slides open, and a woman enters. I start running through the faces I've seen, trying to find a match for her... Nope, nothing. _Great. I'm not-even-demigods-know-where, being held captive, and I don't know anything about the people that have taken me. This day's going absolutely great so far._ I look up and down, hoping for some clue. _White lab coat, pink under outfit... Uh-oh. I've been kidnapped by the muggle version of Delores Umbridge. This isn't going to end well, is it?_

"Hello. My name is Corinne. How are you feeling?" _Huh, not the angle I was expecting her to take..._

"Um... I'm feeling... tied up? And a little tired of the color white. Scratch that, make it 'super tired of the color white.'" She grins at me, and it's far from pleasant. Fantastic.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm afraid you're not going to be seeing much else for... Well, for as long as you're here."

"So... For the next 20 seconds? If you think I'm staying, you're in for one hell of a surprise." I jerk my hands out of the cuffs, and- _Wait, what?_ I look up. Sure enough, my hands are still in the cuffs. I try again. _What the actual hell is going on? I should be able to break these no problem, what-_

"You'll find our serum was quite effective at blocking whatever abilities you have." _Shitballs._ "And I must admit, I've never seen... what are you, anyway? You're clearly not human. You're not a mutant. You're not a supersoldier. You're not even an Asgardian. Are you from one of the other worlds?" 

I glare at her. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, right? Maybe I won't get tortured as much if I keep my sparkling wit to myself.

"Fine, keep your secrets. Or try, anyway. We will find out eventually, you know." A lab assistant enters- No, I take that back, a soldier enters. He's wearing a lab coat, but it's been thrown over his gear, presumably to help keep the room all spiffy. I quickly start running faces again. And this time, I get lucky. Well, if you can call it that. I mean, I'm still chained up in some white-obsessed mad scientist's lair, but, hey, I know where I've seen the soldier-boy. _Whoop-de-do._


	9. The Cavalry

I stare into a pair of eyes that I've seen once before. He stares back, cold and calculating. Last time I'd seen him, I'd been ripping through the compound with an unconscious Loki and an almost full set of pissed-off Avengers. _Huh. Must've made an impression; he definitely doesn't like me. But, hey, the feeling's definitely mutual._

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Corinne's shark-like eyes have turned on him, now.

"Ma'am, there's been... an incident." I can see the pulse jumping in in his throat, and the tension in his jaw. He's riding the edge of fear, but I can't smell him. I'm not sure if that's their serum's doing, or if he's got some sort of scent-masking spray. 

"What sort of incident?" _Interesting... She's tense now, too._

His eyes slide to me. "Let's talk outside." Her eyes widen, and a moment later she nods. This might be the best news all day. Why? Because if it wasn't something to do with me, she wouldn't care if I overheard. I'm not getting out, right? Which means... _The Cavalry has arrived. Hell yeah._

"Hey, don't worry about me. I mean, I'm not going anywhere. We can talk some more in-" A strap slaps over my mouth, and I'm not sure who did it. There must be a control panel outside the room. Corinne turns to leave, and the Lieutenant gives me a final glare before turning to follow her.

The door slides shut behind them, leaving me to my thoughts. It's been a week or so. So we're someplace out of the way, and pretty hard to find if it took Shield this long to find me. It's got to be Shield, because I have two soulmates in the Avengers who are probably losing their damn minds looking for me.

A scream sounds outside the door, startling me. _What the actual fu-_ An explosion makes me jump (as much as I can in my bindings). There are a couple soft thuds, a lull, then one final earsplitting BANG on the sliding door. 

Silence reigns. 

Just when I've started to wonder if anyone's alive out there, the door slides open, and in strides... 

_Huh?_


	10. Three's a Crowd

_HIM? What the actual- What is HE doing here?_

Loki strides in, surveying the apparatus I'm strapped to, gag and all. He smirks, and I'd be lying if it didn't make my heartbeat kick up. I can hear it pounding in my ears, as I watch him saunter closer.

He reaches me, and just stands there. _What is he doing? Why isn't he letting me out, dammit?_ He lifts a hand to my cheek, runs it down the side of my face, down my neck, and across my collarbone. The caress sends shivers down my spine, and I whimper behind my gag. And I thought that smirk couldn't get any wider...

"Put your hands up!" Crap. More soldiers. I look past Loki to see if the Lieutenant is among them. He's near them but not helping them. _To be fair, it's hard to help when your head is not attached to your body._ Loki's smirk turns to a scowl.

"You see this girl? This girl is mine." He looks at me. " _Mine._ "

 _Fine. You know what? Fine. I didn't need these panties anyway. Damn._ He flicks his wrist and in a flash of light the soldiers are airborne, flying back into the wall, where they sink to the floor. 

He turns back to me, cocking his head to the side. His hands move, and the world goes green as his magic passes over me. I hear some whirrs and clicks, then suddenly I'm falling. _Woops, didn't realize being still so long would mess me up like that. Crap, it's probably because of their stupid serum._ I realize I haven't hit the ground, and look up, straight into emerald green eyes. Loki carries me toward the door. _Is... is he doing the princess carry? He couldn't have gone for, I dunno, a fireman's hold? I look freaking ridiculous._

We go through several rooms without running into anyone, but that wasn't going to last. We turn a corner, and there are more soldiers, guns trained on us.

"Drop the prisoner!"

Loki laughs. "No, this darling little thing is mine."

"Yup, I'm all yours." I roll my eyes. "Let's just get this over with." I send out a feeble energy pulse, clearing the room. Loki looks (begrudgingly) impressed. _Honey, you should see me when I'm not fighting through a blocker serum._

"Loki!" Stark rounds the corner, Iron Man's faceplate sliding up out of the way. "Let's go!"

The place is absolutely crawling with Shield agents. Cap joins us shortly after Stark, and the two flank Loki and I as he carries me through the building. I feel like there are better things they could be doing than guarding me when I've got a demigod carrying me, but hey, I'm not at full strength, so who am I to complain?


	11. Learning New Things

In case you are wondering, having two (count 'em, TWO) soulmates taking care of you after they thought you were a goner is absolutely miserable. You know those mushy-gushy rom-coms where the guy is all "I can't bear to be without you, now that I know what it's like (blah blah blah)?" Yeah, _that_ to the nth degree. You want privacy? Too bad, the boys want to reassure themselves that you are okay. 

Which, in theory, wouldn't be that bad. If - and that's a big if - _if_ I wanted to have two soulmates. But I'm not a soulmate sort of girl. I'm a "leave me the hell alone to mope, lick my wounds, and plot my revenge" sort of girl. I mean, it's only been two days, and I'm already trying to figure out how to kill Iron Man and Cap and make it look like an accident. I also - hypothetically - could be plotting a way to casually feel them up... hypothetically. Okay, I totally am, but it's not just me, right? Like, they're unreasonably good-looking. . . . Right? I've gotten to the point where I'm wondering if the soulmate marks can affect our (my) judgment. I haven't read or heard anything about that, but at the same time, I've been kind of avoiding that whole train of thought. . .

In fact, I'm still avoiding that train of thought. I'm also hiding out from the men themselves. Fortunately, Fury's a big believer in personal space, and is therefore allowing me to have my own room. Tony's just about lost his damn mind, and- _Wait, what? Did I just think of him as..._ I mean, _Iron Man_ just about lost his damn mind, demanding to know why I didn't want to sleep in his room...

A knock sounds. _Well, shitballs. They've found me._ I make my way to the door. Sure enough, Cap's out there, waiting. _Alright, what smartass got him dress blues? The man looks good enough to eat._

"Can I help you?" See? My function can brain. I mean- crap, the moment's passed, hasn't it? I was doing so well.

"Well, I, um. . . " 

I think I've thrown the poor boy off. Which is fair, because, "damn, you look delicious."

"I'm glad you think so," he smirks at me. 

_What? No. No no no no no. No._ "Oh, God, I did not just say that out loud. . . "

"I'm afraid you did, ma'am."

 _That's it. I'm gonna kick him. I'm gonna kick him hard._ "Don't call me ma'am, I'm not your grandmother." Ha! There. I've got my sass back. Look at me, all functioning and shit.

"I should hope not." _Oh, my gods, he can flirt! NO! NOOOO!_ This is where I get to encounter my eternal enemy: my skin. I flush bright red as he watches, grin widening. _Oh, I'm definitely gonna kick him._

"What do you want, Rogers?"

"Rogers? Isn't that a bit. . . cold?" He steps towards me, filling the doorway. I couldn't close the door if I wanted to, at this point. _Well, gosh, I wonder what could warm me up?_ My blush deepens. _Seriously? Et tu, Brain?_

His grin widens even further, as if he knows _exactly_ what I'm thinking.

"Yeah, well, you'd know all about the cold, wouldn't you, Capsicle?" Point to Luna! En garde! _Ha! . . . Oh, no. He can't use puppy eyes! That's not fair!_

"I just wanted to bring you these. . . " He lifts a bouquet of orchids, looking for all the world like a boy with his first crush. _Forget kicking him, someone kick ME!_

"I, um. . . I . . . Thanks?" I grasp the bottom of the bouquet, and pull it towards me. I swear, I wasn't expecting him to come with it. But when he moved in with it and kissed me, I learned two things. One, his kiss gives me that same "coming home" feeling that Stark's bite gave me. Two, that man can kiss!


	12. Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise - JARVIS is a tattle-tale. I'm still a bit shell-shocked from yesterday (who knew Cap could kiss? I saw stars, and he wasn't even wearing them!), and what do you know? Stark's discovered Cap's little romantic gesture. 

How do I know? Fantastic question. I know because I tried to walk into my room this afternoon. "Tried" being the operative word there. It's freaking difficult to get into a room when every single inch of horizontal surface is covered in flowers. Every. Single. Inch. In case you were wondering, yes. There were hanging vases, because the bajillion (the scientific term for that amount, I'm sure) flowers in standing vases were not enough. 

"What the actual-"

"Do you like it?" _Ah, the mastermind himself. . . I'm gonna kill him._

"Do I like. . . what?" Brevity is the soul of wit, right?

"The flowers. I wasn't sure what kind you liked." He saunters towards me, and casually leans against the doorframe. "So I got them all."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure I saw some in the neighbor's window box."

"I'll have to give JARVIS a stern talking-to." He just stands there, looking expectant.

"Did you want something?" I've had enough of this awkward dancing around.

"Yeah, I wanted-" He stops, his eyes drop, and I can tell he's having second thoughts. _Hmm, speaking of. . ._ I reach out with my mind, and sure enough, he's projecting. _Yeah, I wanted you._ Oh. OH! Aaaaand I'm blushing. Again.

His eyes catch the tide of color flooding my face, and he meets my eyes. He gives me that smug look. _Do soulmates read minds or something? How the heck do the boys know what I'm thinking? 'Cause they need to knock that off before I knock THEM off._

"How about a kiss?" _Say what?_

"I beg your pardon?"

"A kiss. Riiiiight. . . here." He points to his cheek. _Do I look like an idiot? On second thought, don't answer that._

"I'm not falling for that."

"Falling for what?"

I sigh. 

_Men. You know what? He's not going to leave until I respond, and I've been kinda dying to kiss him ever since I found out what soulmate kisses could feel like. . . I mean, it has to be the soulmate marks. No man kisses like that naturally, right? I mean, Cap hasn't had time to practice, at least not in the last half-century or so. . . So that can't be just him. If it is. . . If it is just natural talent, what's going to happen when he gets practice?_

_HOLY CRAP. NO. NO! Do not start thinking like that! Resist! Fight the power!_

Stark is still standing there, looking expectant.

"Here." With one hand at the back of his neck, I pull him into a kiss. Remember when I said that me + men = bad? Yeah. That. Apparently, my brain has taken a vacation.

Next thing I know, there's one arm around my back, and one hand cupping the back of my head. The man knows how to kiss! I mean, he's had plenty of practice, but this. . . this is still darn impressive.

I don't remember moving, but suddenly, somehow, my back is against the wall. Tony's using his weight to pin me in place, and, at least right now, _his suit's not the only thing made of iron._

I wiggle against him - oh, come on, can you blame me? - and the movement causes us both to gasp. 

_Well, since I'm here. . ._ I bring my hands down to the hem of his shirt, and my fingers inch their way under it and up his torso. 

Tony takes that as his cue to move his mouth down my neck, and the world is a better place for it. He kisses his way down my jaw, over my neck, and nuzzles my shoulder. _Oh, gods, that's my weakness. . ._

I'm discovering that my melting point is about Tony degrees Fahrenheit, when I realize why he's spending his time at that spot: Soulmate Mark.

I push him away, breathing hard. 

"I, um. . . That. . . Thanks for the flowers!" _Oh, look, I can run, I just have to be properly motivated!_ I'm not sure that my feet actually touch the ground as I practically fly back to my house. I had thought it was a shame that we hadn't gotten packed up before that whole kidnapping thing. . . Now, I'm glad for it.

Maybe I just imagined it, but I could have sworn as I leapt into the elevator that I heard Tony muttering "Damn. . . JARVIS, I need a shower. And make it _cold._ " before the doors shut.


	13. Movin' On Up

Moving Day! Take Two! Upside: I'm moving. Downside: The Avengers are helping. Okay, only two of them are helping. What, you think you can guess who? Go ahead. Guess.

[Jeopardy Theme]

HA! WRONG! Cap and Iron Ma- What? What do you mean you guessed them? Damn. Fine, yes, they're helping. They insisted, frankly. And flippin' Cueball backed them up! Something about "the incident last time," though I'm sure I have no idea what he's talking about. 

So now I'm in the tiny cabin of a moving van, stuck between the two men I've been avoiding since their respective kisses. ( _Jackasses wouldn't even let me have the window seat_.) And no, you can't cut the sexual tension with a knife. I'm pretty sure if you just breathe on it, we'll all explode. It certainly doesn't help that Captain Sexypants keeps dropping his right hand from the gear shift to my thigh, and that the Man-of-Iron-in-More-Ways-Than-One has been moving his hand up my thigh millimeter by millimeter. 

We finally come to a stop in front of my house. I could kiss it. The house - get your head out of the gutter. By now, I'm honestly hoping I can sneak off and get a little time with my Battery Operated Boyfriend. Cap gets out first, since Stark seems. . . reluctant. Whether by design or accident - he's a crafty bugger, after all - Tony's hand brushes some (suddenly very happy) sensitive areas. I have to bite back a moan, but Tony's close enough that he can hear it, and his eyes go dark. Moments later, Steve's hands are on my waist as he carries me out. I turn to thank him when I realize. Supersoldier. He heard it, too. _Shitballs._ I can feel the blush coming, so I scoot off into the house. 

I start packing up clothes, enjoying the fact that I can throw them haphazardly and not worry about them breaking while I cool down. The boys, for once, allow me to have some distance, and start carrying boxes out to the van.

I'm finally calming down when I hear it.

"What. The. HELL." Tony comes barreling into the room with one of my pre-packed boxes, followed by a bewildered Steve. "Is that why you've been trying to keep your distance? Why didn't you tell us? We could have talked about this!"

 _What did I do?_ I look at Steve; he's no help.

"I- I'm sorry?" 

Tony's pacing now. "You don't have to be sorry. I mean, I would have understood. I'm a reasonable man. And between Capsicle and I, we would have won you over, but now I feel like shit!"

"What are you talking about?" I ask. Somebody has to.

"THIS." Tony says, punctuating the word with a vicious shake of the box.

"What about i-" Oh. My. God. "How- how did- Um. . . I'll just take that." I reach for it.

"No, I want to know who Bob is. I know you're not a fan of soulmates, but I didn't even think you might be dating-" He cuts himself off, looks wide-eyed at the box, and then looks back at me. "Holy crap. . . Are you MARRIED?"

Steve looks like he can't decide whether to pass out or punch somebody. "You're married?"

"No, I just-"

"You're just dating?" Tony cuts in. 

"No. This isn't that big a deal, guys. Trust me." I'm still trying to figure out how to get the box - foolishly labeled "BOB's stuff" - out of his hands. I'd thought it funny at the time, but now. . . 

"This is a big deal! We're soulmates, we should be able to talk about everything, even things like" he shakes the box again "this." Apparently, the box has had enough. And it's decided to be very vocal about that fact. When packing my Battery Operated Boyfriend's stuff, I'd decided to put in all his little friends, too. And now I get to watch the bottom of the box split, and all those lovely little things come spilling out. _Terrific._


	14. Space... the Not-so-Final Frontier

Silence reigns for what feels like hours. I'm trying to figure out if time travel is one of my abilities... it's not.

"So.... um..." I can't think of anything to say. "These boxes... aren't going to pack themselves?"

No response. Steve picks up a pair of neoprene wrist restraints, letting them dangle from one finger. His eyes raise to mine. 

"I... I can explain-"

Tony takes my chin in hand, forcing me to look at him. "This is your stuff, isn't it." He's so sure that it doesn't even come out as a question.

"I..." My chin raises. _Screw them! A girl has needs!_ "So what if it is?"

A sly grin spreads across Tony's face. 

_Uh-oh... That can't be good..._ "What?"

Tony casually paces back to the pile. "Oh, nothing. . ." He picks up one of the floggers, letting it glide over his hand. "Just good to know what. . ." he brings the flogger down sharply on his forearm, testing it " _does it_ for you."

 _Oh.... Oh damn._

I wasn't conscious of Steve moving from his spot, but now he's behind me, his breath sending shivers down my spine. Between the two of them, I'm floating, and heading for subspace. It never took that much to get me spaced, and with these two. . . I have a feeling it's going to take less than usual. _I've got to get out of here before I do something stupid._ I try to take a step forward, but my legs don't want to hold me. Immediately, Steve's arms come around me, catching me before I can fall very far. Tony's there a moment later, hands (thankfully) free, as the two guide me to the floor.

"Easy, sweetheart." Steve murmurs into my ear. 

Everything's gone a bit sparkly and happy... I don't have the presence of mind to be worried that I just got spaced. I giggle. "Sweet-heart. My heart's sweet?" I twist to look at Steve, who's focused on me, intent on taking care of whatever has just happened. He looks slightly confused. "You're pretty. So pretty. 'Nd sweet, too. Makes me want to lick you!" He's still looking confused, but now he's looking amused as well. He looks askance over my head at Tony.

Turning back to look at Tony... is a mistake. I can tell that Tony knows _exactly_ what's happened, and is absolutely thrilled with the whole situation. Problem is, I don't care. "You're pretty, too. But... you're not sweet."

"I'm not?" He's having the time of his life.

"No... You're... you're... I dunno. You're spicy. You're spicy, he's sweet. . . Hey! Together you're like Mexican Hot Chocolate!"

"Mexican... hot chocolate?" Tony practically purrs at me. 

"Yeah... it's hot chocolate with chili pepper in it. I always get some when I go to Mexico... it's the best..." I'm suddenly distracted. "Your chest is so pretty. So glowy!" I reach for him, and he obligingly moves closer. I'm incredibly frustrated that I can't see the Arc Reactor, and start pulling up his shirt. 

Tony grabs my wrists. "Easy, easy." He pulls my hand from the fabric of his shirt, and looks at Steve. "I'm gonna go find some blankets."

"Blankets?" I can feel Steve tense beneath me. "No, Tony. She's not... She's not thinking straight."

"Not for sex, Capsicle. She's going to need aftercare."

"Aftercare?" Poor Steve has no idea.

"It's a thing. It's just helping her come back to normal." Steve relaxes, nods to Tony. 

"You go get whatever she needs. I've got this under control." As Tony goes off on his quest, I turn back to Steve.

I run my hand down his chest, relishing the feel of him. I can feel other parts of him getting hard beneath me, and I rub against him. The quickly indrawn breath is so satisfying that I do it again. His hands clamp down on my hips, holding me in place. I push slightly away from him, and he lets me, not realizing my plan. I swing my leg over his lap before he realizes, and as I straddle him, I roll my hips. My hands travel under the hem of his shirt, and I lean into him. His hands clamp back down on my hips, but my hands are left free to explore his chest. I lean in to nibble on his jaw, and he moans at the new assault on his senses. I hear a chuckle behind me.

"I thought you had this under control?" If I had bothered to look, I would have found Tony carrying blankets and a couple pillows. But I was far more interested in the sensitive spot beneath Steve's jaw.

"I thought I did, too." Steve's breathing isn't as steady any more, and I can feel him twitching as he resists the urge to move. There is a ruffling sound, as Tony lays out an area for aftercare, then I'm suddenly airborne, Steve's hands falling away.

"Enough of that." Tony rumbles in my ear, carrying me to the improvised bed, laying down, and holding me to his chest. He waves Steve over with his free hand, as I make myself comfortable.

I'm surrounded by warmth, the smell of my two found soulmates is everywhere. I couldn't be happier. I curl into Tony, with Steve's body firm and warm against my back. Everything is wonderful, and I can't help but fall asleep.


	15. Crazy Lil' Thing Called BOB

_Mmmmmm... Waaaaaaaaaaaarm........ Wait._ I open my eyes to find the room dark, with a faint bluish-white glow coming from behind me. My head is resting on a broad, increasingly-familiar chest. I can hear his heart beating steadily, soothingly. One of my arms is trapped underneath me, the other flung over his stomach. My legs are hopelessly tangled with... theirs? I'm struck by the realization that one arm is around my shoulders, but another is draped across my waist... _Tony. Steve. Shitballs._

The puzzle pieces finally click into place. I'm on the floor of my house, between two of the Avengers, after they put me into subspace - somewhat accidentally. Oh, and they're my soulmates who just got accidentally introduced to my Battery Operated Boyfriend. _Shitballs._

It's hard to think with Steve's heartbeat in my ear. It's incredibly soothing, and it really makes me want to cuddle back in and go back to sleep. _Luna, do not make me slap you. We're not the soulmate type, remember? We've got to get out of here._

I lift my head from Steve's shoulder. Looking down our bodies doesn't help, as we're covered by blankets. I try to ease my legs out from between Tony and Steve's, carefully extricating one leg... _Let them curl around each other, I'll just..._ The image of them curled together hits me, and I have to take a moment to breathe. _That's... woo. Tuck that away in the fap files._ It's not until I go to move my leg again that I realize that my shadow has moved. Which means... I swing around to Tony and find myself level with his chocolate-brown eyes. _I always did have a weakness for chocolate. He looks... amused?_

"Going somewhere?" His sleepy rumble is practically a form of bribery. 

"I-"

"Leave her alone, Tony," comes from behind me. I whip around. Sure enough, Steve's awake.

"I- you- how- how long have you been awake? How long have I been _asleep?_ " I manage.

"I'm pretty sure Dorito didn't sleep at all."

"And you were out for about 5 hours."

"Okay, first off: why didn't you WAKE ME? Second: why is it so dark? _And why do you look so flippin' smug?_ " 

Steve reaches out and tucks my hair behind my ear. "You were out like a light; you needed the sleep. And it was bright out, so I closed the curtains and threw a blanket over the window to keep it dark. And-" He stares down at me, smiling smugly. "When I went to close the curtains, you flipped over, reached for me, and whimpered."

"She did?" I can hear the surprise in Tony's voice, so I don't turn to look. Besides, the light is that direction, and I know I am blushing.

"She did." Steve winks at me. "She also talks in her sleep."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"What did she say?"

"Well-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" I know exactly what - and who - I was dreaming about, so I'm not about to let Steve tell Tony about it. It doesn't help that about half of the blood in my body has made its way into my face by now.

I extricate myself from the blankets (and the boys), and make my way over to the window while I get my blush under control, stumbling over something on the way. I pull the blanket down, and turn to glare at whatever it was I had tripped over. The pile of the BOB's Stuff box sits pseudo-innocently in the middle of the room. _So much for getting my blush to go away._

I storm over and start packing the pile into a new box - which I shall _not_ be labeling "BOB's stuff."

Tony saunters over the pile, picking up BOB himself.

"I'll take that," I say, holding out my hand expectantly.

"Oh, I don't think so." Tony replies, offhandedly.

"What?"

"The way I see it, Capsicle and I went through a hell of a lot because of this little guy." He's using my vibrator to gesture. 

"So?"

" _So_ after all the worrying we did about who Bob was to you, I think Steve and I are going to have to make friends with him."

I stare at him, blank-faced. "What?"

"Bob's going to come stay with the boys." 

I'm standing now. "Tony, give it back."

"We've got to get familiar with your old boyfriend, Luna. After all, we're going to be the ones bringing you..." his eyes smoulder. "pleasure."

_Do not blush. Do NOT blush... Damn._

"Besides," he continues, "I'm pretty sure I can make a better BOB." _That sounds suspiciously altruistic..._ "and I can't wait to use it on you." _There's the Tony I know and lov-... tolerate._

"In the meantime-" Steve is again right behind me. _I swear, he's part cat._ "we're going to have to update your stash."

"I beg your pardon?" 

The two of them are grinning now. "I think we all know that neoprene isn't enough to hold you." _These panties are goners._

"Ha! What makes you think I'm going to scene with _you_!" I'm not quite able to pull off the haughty tone. 

Tony's grin doesn't even falter. "Honey, what makes you think you'll be able to resist?"


	16. One Little Slip

"Wait, you were snuggled up to two of your soulmates... and you're _mad_ about that?" 

After the... incidents... I'd called Natasha Romanov to come and get me. It's sort of weird to realize that because I never really made friends, the closest ones to me are the Avengers.

"You don't understand... It's not that we were... you know. It's that they..."

"They what?"

_Oh, my god.... Am I really going to talk about my sex life to Black Freaking Widow?.... Apparently._

"They stole my fucking vibrator!"

"I- what?"

"They took my vibe!"

"... Why?"

"Something stupid about how Tony could build a better one, and how it's their job to give me pleasure now." I can't make eye contact with her. I just can't. _Did... did her lips just twitch? Is she trying not to smile? This isn't funny, damn it!_

"And that's a problem?"

"Hell yeah, that's a problem! How could that be anything but a problem?"

"I don't know... it just seems to me that if they were my soulmates, I'd still be curled up with them." I have to look at her after that one. We haven't talked about it, but I know she doesn't have soulmate marks. She keeps her eyes on the road, but it looks like she isn't really paying attention to it anymore; like her mind is somewhere else.

"I guess... but I don't want to be with someone just because of these marks. If I didn't have the marks, if soulmates weren't a thing, would they really want to be with me?"

"Of course they would."

"Why?"

"Because you're meant to be together. That's why you're soulmates." She's back with me now, I can tell.

"I don't think so. I mean, Mr. I'm-Too-Sexy-For-My-Own-Good and Mr. I-Don't-Mean-To-Be-Sexy-But-Somehow-Am-Anyway wouldn't even notice me if our words didn't match."

"That's not what the security feed says."

"What?" 

"I saw the recordings of your first meeting with Tony. He was going after you before he saw his words on you."

"But he goes after everyone! I mean, the man's sex on legs, he'd go after any woman in front of him!"

"Which is why you holding out is intriguing, impressive, and confusing for him. And absolutely hilarious to watch." She flashes a smile at me, then turns back to the road. "How are you holding up, by the way?"

"What?"

"Most women would have given in by now. Especially if they knew he was their soulmate. Why haven't you?"

"How do you know I haven't?"

"Luna. If you'd let Tony have his way, the two of you would have disappeared for at least 24 hours, and then neither of you would be walking straight for another 24. Plus, I've seen the security tapes. One hell of a kisser, isn't he?"

"I, um..."

"So how have you kept him in his own pants and out of yours?"

"My secret weapon."

"Oh?" She looks genuinely interested.

"I'm demi."

"Oh... "She's disappointed that it's not an actual weapon, I can tell. "Well, keep it up. I've got odds on you not giving in for another couple of months." 

"I'm not planning on giving in _ever._ And why are you betting on my sex life?"

"Everyone's betting on it. I know the two guys. And we're teammates, so I'm getting to know you. With my background and that information at my fingertips, it'll be too easy."

"Then why do it?"

"I've had my eye on this modified flamethrower."

"And?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. won't buy off the black market."

"Oh. OH! Oh..." We're pulling into the tower's basement garage.

"Before I forget, do you want to train sometime this week?"

"Train?"

She parks the car. "Hand-to-hand. No powers."

"Yeah! Hell yeah! That's why I even considered joining in the first place."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's going to be amazing to get to work with you."

"You joined because of me?"

 _Did I not just say that?_ "Um, yeah?"

"Huh..." She turns and smiles at me. _I'm pretty sure that is the scariest face anyone has ever made._ "I can't wait to tell the boys that!"

_I've made a horrible, horrible mistake..._


	17. Cherry Bomb

_Oh no... oh no. Not now!_ I hadn't prepared for this. _This is the worst time this could have happened... Maybe I can resist it. Yeah, that could work, right? Auuughhhh!_

It's happening. 

About once or twice a year, the most horrible, embarrassing thing you could imagine happens: I get a rom-com craving.

And with flippin' JARVIS, there's no way I can get one without the boys hearing about it. And then I'll never hear the end of it. As far as I know, the boys are still at my old house, grabbing what boxes are prepacked.

_I'm already going to catch enough flak for abandoning them to packing up the house, this is the last thing I need..._

I start considering trying to hack past JARVIS, but there are two problems with that plan. First, I'm lazy. Second, tech is not my strong suit. In fact, it's basically my downfall. I love it, but the feeling's not mutual.

_That leaves one option..._

* * *

Two hours later, and I've successfully made a run to the movie store. I'm not one of the "official" members of the Avengers yet, so I didn't have to worry about being recognized. On the other hand, I didn't want JARVIS to be able to figure out what I'm doing, so I tried to keep out of sight. Downside being the whole trip I've had "Cherry Bomb" by The Runaways stuck in my head... And I only know the first verse and the chorus.

Bright side, though, is that I got my rom-com! The male lead is gorgeous, the female lead looks like me (if I squint)... it's perfect. _Now it's just a matter of getting it to my room without anyone noticing, but that shouldn't be a problem._ I wave to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as I make my way through the main floor to the elevator, finally getting up to the Avengers' living quarters. By the looks of it, and the almost unnerving quiet of the common room, I'm pretty sure the Avengers have been called out for something, so it's just me and my movie. For a moment I consider going to the private theatre, but I don't want to push my luck. I pad silently across the common room. _Dang, girl! You did it!_

"What've you got there?" An all-too-familiar voice rumbles from the sofa.


	18. These Sneakers Weren't Made for Sneakin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to thebeastinsideusall and SweetHarty, for encouraging me to write more! These chapters are for you!

“Um… nothing?” I manage to stammer out. _Damn it, what is he doing here?_ Tony is lounging on one of the couches, looking for all the world like he… _Okay, so he kinda still owns the place, but still._

“Doesn’t look like nothing.” I whip around to see Steve making his way to the couch, carrying a glass of what looks like Coke. _Really? Him, too? What’d I do to piss off the universe?_

“Well?” A word from Tony breaks me out of my stupor.

“I… I…” Before I can think of an answer, I feel something shockingly cold between my shoulder blades. “Son-of-a-biscuit!” I yell, losing all control of my limbs… and my dignity.

“Language?” Tony asks Steve, one eyebrow raised. He catches my movie (which has been oh-so-discretely hidden in a brown bag) and casually slides it out of the brown shame-covering device. _I’ve been spending too much time around Tony… I’m naming everything now…_

“Give it back!” I go to lunge for the video, but suddenly a Coca-Cola wielding arm is around me. _So that’s what hit my back! Hmmm … I’m going to sneak ice into his bed. Perfect revenge. File that one away under “Revenge is Best Served Cold.”_

Once again, I’ve given in to one of my (admittedly many) fatal flaws; I’ve retreated into my own thoughts. 

“Is this… a chick flick?” Tony’s eyes widen.

“No!”

They both look at me, eyebrows raised.

“It’s… It’s technically a rom com. And videos aren’t gendered. So… No chick flicks, no guy flicks… just… non-binary flicks!” _Ah, yes. My infinite wit._

“Steve, do you know what that means?”

“I haven’t the slightest, Tony, what _does_ that mean?” _If I wasn’t so warm, I’d knock their heads together… Five more minutes, Mom…_

“It means that we, as modern men, should show our support of non-gendered movies. Luna, I’m so glad you brought the issue up. We’d be happy to watch this with you.”

 _Mmmmmm… so warm… And he smells like laundry drying in sunshine… and Tony’s looking at me… so cute…. And- Wait. Tony’s looking at me? Why is Tony looking at me?_

“What?” _And, again, the sparkling wit strikes._

“We’re accepting your invitation to watch your movie with you.” _Oooh, the feeling of the vibrations from Steve’s chest as he… accepts my… Crap on a cracker._

“I didn’t invite you?” 

“Yeah, you kinda did. Wouldn’t want our soulmate to think we’re chauvinists, would we, Dorito?”

“Of course not.”

“But-” I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise.

“Besides, you haven’t ever had my popcorn. Make it myself, don’t I, JARVIS?”

“Of course, sir.”

“See?”

I can tell I’m not getting out of this one… and my rom-com craving will not be denied. 

“Fine.”

“Perfect.” _Tony looks like the cat that got the cream… I think I just became a dog person._

“BUT” I duck under Steve’s arm and march over to Tony, taking firm hold of his shirt front. “If you cut a hole in the bottom of the popcorn bucket, I will personally find scorpions to drop in there. Angry scorpions.” 

_Oh, look, I think the cream went sour. How about that?_


	19. Chivalry's Not Dead, He Was Just Frozen

“No. Not even no; _hell_ no.” Turns out I’m going to be watching my rom-com in the private theatre, and let me just say, it’s one hell of a private theatre. I’m pretty sure I’m never going to the movies in public again.

“What?” Tony’s still working on the popcorn. Steve, meanwhile, has been making an impromptu nest out of blankets, pillows, and the super-comfy couch. _And everything in you wants to be in that nest with them… Shut up, Brain. You don’t know me._

Steve has settled down into the nest, and is holding his arm out to me, inviting me to join him, to cuddle up with him.

“I’m not… _cuddling_ with you two.”

“Why not?” I make the mistake of turning from Steve’s outstretched arm to Tony. He’s in the process of drizzling freshly melted butter on the popcorn. He sets the cup of butter down, and licks the excess off his thumb, his eyes on me the whole time. 

“B- Because… because I’m not doing this whole soulmate thing! I’m not the soulmate type!”

“How do you know?”

“What?”

“You’ve been fighting this since before you met us. You hardly even know us. How do you know you’re not the soulmate type?” Tony’s eyes seem to cut through me.

“I… Um…”

“We’re not asking you to marry us.” Steve jumps in from the nest. “We’re just asking you to try… _dating_ us.”

“Yeah…” I can’t think of a logical argument for why I shouldn’t do this… unless… “But we’re on a team! Don’t you think this will – I don’t know – mess with the whole balance of things? Or something?”

“You can more than hold your own. Besides, we’re friends with everyone on this team. There’s always some sort of argument going on, but we’ve always found ways to put it on hold.”

“Um…” 

“And besides, when Tony does something stupid, you’ll have someone to complain to.” Steve’s eyes are shining with laughter.

“HEY!” Tony throws a hard cider at Steve, who catches it before it can hit home, and sets it on our snack table (yes, with a coaster. I don’t think he can help himself).

“Isn’t there something about ‘don’t bang a team member or coworker or something’ clause?” _Who, me? Desperate? Never._

“Yeah, there is.” Tony’s putting the final touches on the popcorn, sprinkling the salt just-so, and tossing the popcorn to distribute it.

“AHA!” _I’ve won! So why do I feel so… disappointed?_

“WHICH is why there is an addendum.” 

“What?” _No, heart. Don’t do that whole tripping nonsense. I don’t have time for you to do any of that…_

“Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. knew there was a possibility of soulmates meeting each other at work. And as long as it doesn’t impact your work, they don’t want to keep soulmates apart.”

“Damn.” _Double damn. Heart, what did I say about that whole tripping thing? Stahp._ “So…”

“So are you coming over here? Or do I have to carry you?” _Tony, I don’t need your Domliness right now… I am NOT getting spaced. A girl can only take so much embarrassment._ He settles in on the other side of the nest Steve’s created, popcorn in hand. 

Fine. Fine! I’m a logical person. I mean, I’m no Spock, but hey, I’ve got no reason NOT to give them a chance. _Can I blame a guilt trip for getting me into this? Yes. Yes, definitely. Not my fault I have to… snuggle… with two sweet, caring, soulmates… Alright, is that my heart tripping? Or do I just have arrhythmia?_

“I... I’m… fine.” 

“Damn right you are!” _Tony might be joining Steve on the receiving end of the “ice in their bed” revenge scheme. I mean, what’s one more bag of ice in the grand scheme of things? That totally fits in my budget. This is what I’ve been storing cash for._

“Scoot over.”

“Nah, I’m good right here.” _Dang it, I thought Steve was supposed to be the polite one?_

“But-”

“Besides, if I move, I won’t be able to reach the popcorn.” 

_That’s fair._ “Fine.”

We settle in, starting the movie. Tony has _not_ cut a hole in the bottom of the popcorn bucket. Huzzah for him. 

As the movie goes on, I slowly relax. I guess, deep down, I’ve always hated the stereotype of the “rom-com” and the “chick flick,” that to watch and enjoy them, you have to be a “girly-girl.” I’ve been fighting that all my life. To have two men who are basically paragons of manliness laughing at the often predictable and groan-worthy jokes… I don’t know. It’s almost like watching a movie with my girl friends, if I had any, and if they were practically national sex icons. You know, ‘cause that’s a thing. 

It’s not until we’re mostly through the movie that I realize that we’ve all rearranged. The popcorn is with the other snacks on the table, my legs are up on Tony’s lap. _Holy crap, did I shave today? Dammit, I can’t remember!_ Steve’s propped along the edge of the nest, and one of my shoulders has found its way between him and the couch, leaving me in the perfect position to rest my head on his chest. His heartbeat underscores the movie, speeding up as the movie nears its climax, then slowing again. His hand strokes along my neck, helping me to relax even further. 

I’m asleep before the credits roll, that strong, steady heartbeat leading me into the soothing dark.


	20. Sunshine, Lollipops, and Hell-No (And Hell-Yeah)

“Wazzat? Wha?” Mornings are hard.

I look around, trying to get my bearings. _Last I remember, I was… watching a rom-com… in the theatre. Where am I?_ The room looks familiar… common room. It’s gotta be. 

“Good morning!” 

_By all the gods that are, were, and ever shall be… He’s CHIPPER._  
“What?”

“I said ‘good morning.’” Steve looks like a little ray of sunshine. I feel like a potential murderer. “Would you like some tea?”

“First off, it’s morning. There’s nothing good about it, except… Nope, can’t come up with anything. There’s nothing good about mornings.”

“It’s a beautiful day! I’m about to go for a run, and-”

“If you’re about to suggest I go with you, let me just stop you right there.” _Unless you were hoping to die today…_

“Not a runner?”

“Not a morning-er. How did I get here?”

At least he has the good grace to look a little embarrassed. “You fell asleep watching the movie last night... you weren’t going to be comfortable on the theatre’s couch, and I- _we_ decided not to invade your privacy by going into your room, so… best option…”

“Not the best option.” Tony, thank the gods, looks about as awake/happy to see the morning as I feel.

“Best option would have been bringing you back-”

“Tony.” Steve looks like he’s up for some homicide now, too. _What?_

“What?” Tony looks like he knows why Steve’s ticked, but completely unrepentant. 

“What were you going to say?” What? Curiosity killed the cat, but _satisfaction brought it back_. And if these boys are anything, they’re satisfy-… You know what? I’m not going to finish that sentence. This is why I shouldn’t be around men. Or rom-coms. Or men _and_ rom-coms.

Tony prowls over to my erstwhile bed. _Oh, it is not fair to look that good before you’ve so much as brushed your teeth…_

“Best option would have bringing you back to my room. The bed’s got more than enough space for the three of us.” 

“What, wake up with you two _and_ morning breath? Sounds like the morning of champions.” Oh, look! My brain woke up! “Why would I want to subject myself to that?”  
 _Oh, I do not like the look on his face…_ Okay, technically certain “girly bits” really like that look, but it does not bode well for me…

“Because,” he leans in close enough for me to know that he has, in fact, brushed his teeth. “You’d also get this.” 

I feel his hand in my hair a heartbeat before my head gets pulled to the side, his teeth closing over my soulmate mark. I can feel my heart racing, the world goes fuzzy, and suddenly I’m off in another world. Spaced again.

_Good thing my brain woke up… I’d hate for it to go on vacation without a proper send-off._


	21. Come Fly With... Us

I’ve found an(other) upside to having Tony Stark as my soulmate: insta-trips. Anywhere. Like, he just decided that we should go off to Hawaii, so _we did._ I mean, sure, he’d decided to do it for the whole team, but I know it’s for me. How do I know it’s for me? Because he bought me an Ironette bikini. Not even joking. 

“Is this thing even… legal… in the U.S.?” _It’s more strings and prayers than anything else…_

“What do you mean? Of course it’s legal. Why don’t you go try it on?” Tony’s too darkly handsome to pull off the “I’m so innocent” look. 

“Tony!” At least Steve’s on my side about this one. “She’s not going to wear a- a _thong_ to go to a public beach!”

“We’re not going to a public beach.”

“What?” Steve and I both chime in right on cue.

“We’re going to _my_ beach. No people, except the ones we invite.” He slides molten chocolate eyes to me. “We could even go skinny-dipping, if you want.”

“I- I- No. I-”

“Here.” Steve glides over to a blue package, handing it to me. Inside, there’s another bikini, this one modeled after the U.S.O. girls, complete with fitted tankini top and a high-waisted cheerleader-esque skirt.

“Steve, she wants to go swimming. This is a complete outfit.” I’m pretty sure Tony’s estimating what the damage would be if he used one of his repulsors to destroy the swimsuit right now.

_I’m tempted to wear the bikini Steve got me, but I don’t want to make one soulmate feel like less than the other._ What? I’m not that much of a bitch.

I grab the top Tony gave me – since it was designed for bustier women than I am, and it’s a halter design, it covers everything – and the skirt bottoms that Steve gave me. It’s an odd pairing, but I’m going to be much more at ease, especially since the skirt comes up higher than normal bottoms, almost to my belly button. I’m not in the best shape of my life, so having bottoms that cover my pudge and the stretchmarks on my butt and the tops of my thighs is actually really comforting.

I lay out the combo, and I can tell neither soulmate is completely happy with the outfit, but they can suck it up. If I run into my other soulmates, they’re going to be sharing me with two more people, so they need to learn how to share and compromise. _Strange that the idea of having four soulmates – or a soulmate at all – doesn’t freak me out the way it used to…_

* * *

_I’m not impressed… I’m not impressed…. I just haven’t been on a private plane before, so my chin’s on the floor to see what quality the carpet is._

We’ve all been loaded up into Tony’s private plane, which has the most comfortable seats. Turns out, the only people going are Steve, Tony, Loki, Natasha, and me. Colson and Fury begged off because they “had work to do” – though their minds were practically screaming “I don’t want to be in the middle of the new soulmate triangle.” Clint’s gone home to see his family, though he told the group he had an assignment. Bruce just got a call about a research grant. It was a bit of a bummer to hear about, because I’ve been looking forward to hanging out with him. He seems chill, which is what I aspire to be. Thor was called off-world last minute. I still haven’t met the blond demigod, and that’s probably for the best: I’ve had a crush on him for a while, and I don’t think my soulmates would like that very much… Actually, I know they wouldn’t like it, because I’ve been flirting shamelessly with Loki the whole flight, and they’ve been glaring from their respective seats. I guess it’s just easier to flirt when there’s no soulmate mark to get in the way.  
We land in a public airport, which is surprising at first. Tony explains that he didn’t want to disrupt the beautiful green of the land he owned.

“Really? That’s… so beautiful.” I’m actually touched that he cares.

“And it means more skinny-dipping.” _And the moment is gone._

“I should have known.”

He winks at me. I settle in more to Steve’s side of the seat. If Nat is to be believed, there was a limo planned, until Tony had realized that a bench seat meant we would be pressed together.

I make eye contact with Nat in the rear-view mirror. She grins at me, before turning her eyes back to the road. We’re going to talk about this later, I can tell. She’s just cracking up, up there behind the wheel. Loki seems to be ignoring us, focusing on the island outside instead. It makes me wonder how it compares to Asgard. It’s such a lush, verdant place. Does he recognize these plants? How do they compare to the gardens of Asgard? 

I realize that Tony’s been talking. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said, I can’t wait to see you wearing that new swimsuit.”

“Hmm… funny, I didn’t know you wanted to see me as a U.S.O. girl.”

I see a smile creep across Loki’s face in the side mirror. It’s brought back under control so quickly that I almost doubt it was ever there. 

“When you put it like that… Should I tell you all the pros of skinny-dipping?”

Loki catches my gaze, and winks at me. I, being the master of control I am, blush furiously. 

“I- that’s okay. I did bring a swimsuit, after all.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tony make eye contact over my head with Steve. _I’m not sure what they’re up to, but it never ends-_ To be safe, I reposition myself in the middle. _Actually, I probably could get Steve to tell me what that look meant…_ I turn to him.

I realize Tony’s moving in behind me, and his teeth find the curve of my neck. Steve tilts my head up, catching my moans with his mouth in a mind-blowing kiss.

I’m both spaced and grounded at once. Deep down, I feel the need to giggle, the world being more sparkly and shiny than I remember. At the same time, I can feel the warmth of the two bodies next to me, keeping me linked to the earth. A tether to the real world as I float in their arms.

Tony releases my neck, and helps Steve turn me. I assume they’re tucking me into Steve’s arms, to keep me comfortable as I come down.

“Gently. Go ahead.” I hear Tony murmuring to Steve.

_What? What are they doing?_ I try to lift my eyes to find out what’s going on, but my eyelids feel so heavy…

I get my answer a moment later when Steve – yeah, you read that right – brings his teeth up on the unmarked side of my neck, brushing along to the right position. I can’t help but shift my hips as he bites down gently, then slowly increases the pressure. Despite his lack of experience, his technique and instinct sends me farther into space than bites have in the past. My back arches in response to the sensations streaming through my body. I can feel Tony leaning in, taking my hand, and watching. The knowledge that Tony is standing by, making sure that Steve doesn’t bite down so hard as to injure me, allows me to give over to the sensations. I’m beyond moaning, and I’m incredibly sensitized. I can feel Tony’s thumb stroking along the inside of my wrist, and I’m not sure how long he has been doing it, but in this moment, it means everything to me.

The slight tightening of Steve’s arms and Tony’s hands on me is the only indication I have that we have come to a stop. 

I get the impression that Natasha is ushering Loki out of the car, but I don’t have the presence of mind to be grateful.

“I- I-” I can’t gather my thoughts enough to get it out.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Steve’s holding me with one arm, his free hand smoothing my hair. 

“I’mmmm sorry.”

“What?” I can feel the boys tense up.

“What are you talking about, Luna? You’re sorry?”

“Yeah… you-you-you are… are great. And-” My eyes are suddenly very moist.

Tony shushes me, and encourages me to relax back into Steve. 

“But… I’m not a good soulmate… I’m sorry-”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. Now, I’m going to go set up everyone in their bedrooms, and we’ll get your bedroom ready, okay? Then we’ll have aftercare there.” He strokes my cheek with one of his hands.

“Why?”

“What?”

I scoot further into Steve’s warm embrace, making myself comfortable. “Can’t we all sleep in your bed?” I slowly blink up at Tony’s widening eyes.

“I- um…” He looks to Steve over my head. I can feel the nod against the top of my head. “Of course… I’ll… go get my… get my bed ready.” He kisses my forehead, nods to Steve, and gets out of the car.

Steve’s breath ruffles my hair, and I turn my cheek into his chest. I can hear his pulse in my ear, as strong and soothing as always. _I’ve got to be careful with him. Next thing I know, I won’t be able to sleep without hearing at least one of my soulmates’ heartbeats._


	22. War of the Waves

“Are you sure?” Tony asks for the millionth time.

“If you ask me that one more time I’m going to Gibbs-smack you.”

“What?”

 _Ooops, I meant to say that in my head…_ “Tony, I’m fine.” Tony’s gone into full-on protection mode. He doesn’t want to hold me to the things I said in subspace. 

“Alright… but, is it just me, or did you say you were going to smack me?”

“… I might have…” I know I’m playing with fire, but I’m coming to a point where I trust Tony and Steve implicitly. I trust them more than just about anyone, and just the thought of sceneing with them sends my mind floating.

“I’ll have to remember that… you’ll be paying for it later, I’m sure.” The accompanying wink does nothing to slow my racing heart. 

_I’m sure he has a box of goodies in this house that… whoo…. I’m not going to need their bites to send me into space, just thinking it about it could basically do it for me… I take that back, any excuse to get their marks on me again…_ My hands come up to rub the deliciously tender spots on my neck. My eyes meet Tony’s, and from his smug face, it’s obvious he knows what I’m thinking. 

Steve brings in the last of our stuff from the car, and after a glance at Tony and me, he’s grinning away with Tony. Just one look, and he’s up to speed.  
I’m blushing. What’s new? “Where’d you… where’s my bag?”

Steve, still grinning, points over to the dresser. My bag is in plain sight. Who says I’m not a brilliant conversationalist? Opening my bag, I pull out my mismatched swimsuit. Tony perks up. 

“Swimming?”

“Yeah. Do you guys need to change into your suits?”

“I wore mine down.” He looks like a cat who just brought a mouse home as a “present.” Steve and I roll our eyes at each other. “But you’re welcome to change.” He crosses his arms, waiting patiently, and… 

“Are you going to turn around, or what?”

“Or what.”

“Tony.” Steve grabs him by the shoulder, turning him around. He calls over his shoulder to me. “We won’t look. Scout’s honor.”

To be on the safe side, I turn my back to them as well. I slide out of my summer dress, the sound making Tony groan across the room. I glance back at them, ensuring they’re not actually looking. I step out of my underwear, and am grabbing the swim bottoms, when I hear it.

_SMACK._

My hands fly to my breasts, instinctively crouching as I turn toward the boys. Tony is rubbing the back of his head, Steve’s hands are on Tony’s shoulders, holding him in position. Both are still facing the wall. I debate calling out to them, to see what the hell is going on. 

“That’s not fair,” Tony grumbles, rubbing the back of his head a last time before dropping his hand, his hair sticking out in every direction.

“We gave our word. Scout’s honor.”

“You gave your word. I didn’t give mine. I wasn’t even a scout.”

“Fine. Gentlemen’s honor.”

“Oh, Capsicle, I’m anything but a gentleman.”

Steve sighs, then calls to me. “You go ahead and get changed, Luna. I’ve got him.”

I’m laughing so hard that I can hardly breathe. I’m keeping the noise to myself – don’t ask me how – but my sides are shaking. 

After several deep breaths, I grab the skirt from the floor where it fell, stepping into it. It’s incredibly cute, and my long-dormant girly side makes me twirl in it. Does it have twirl factor? Hell. Yes.

The halter takes a few tries to tie properly. There’s an arc reactor design between my breasts, which is absolutely adorable. The two parts clearly aren’t a matched set, but I love it. It’s my new favorite swimsuit.

“How do I look?”

The boys turn immediately, giving me a long up-and-down look, as I wait, patiently. Well, not too patiently. Finally, I can’t take it anymore.

“Well?”

“You look great.” Steve strides over, taking one of my hands in mine. He leads me through a quick version of the East Coast Swing. It’s reminiscent of the Jitterbug, which I used to dance with my father, and when he twirls me, I can’t help but laugh. He ends our impromptu dance with a sweet dip. His innate strength makes the potentially awkward move feel natural. I’m still laughing when he sets me back on my feet. 

Tony’s just standing there, contemplating the get up. His neutral expression makes me nervous, especially as it’s the first time they’re seeing one of my other soulmarks. It streams down from my ribs to mid-thigh. Another rides the curve of my hip, hiding above Steve’s beneath the skirt.

“Well? Tony?” 

“Ah. I know what it is.”

“What _what_ is?” I’m getting more anxious by the second.

Instead of answering, he stalks over. Some primitive instinct tells me to back up, and my hips are up against the dresser. I’m pinned by his gaze. He reaches between my breasts.

“There.”

I look down to see the arc reactor pendant glowing, his hands drifting away from a button I hadn’t noticed on the side of it.

“Perfect. You’re absolutely perfect.” Tony brushes his thumb along my cheek.

“Where’s my mark?” Steve cuts in before my skin can process how embarrassed I should be. Should be, but am not. I’ve never been called perfect before, and it makes my soul glow.

“What?” Tony and I are in tandem now.

“I can see his mark. I can see” he gestures to my ribs. “That mark, which isn’t mine… Where’s my mark?”

“Um, Steve? I’m not sure how to break it to you, but… Soulmate marks… are in corresponding positions…” I can see the question in his eyes, then he looks down at himself, looks at me, and blushes. _Okay, Universe. He’s cute enough without your help! My heart can’t take a blushing Steve Rogers!_

“What?” Tony’s looking between us, still not sure where my mark is. I flash him the mark on my inside thigh, the words “You will do as I say” in Steve’s smooth but simple handwriting.

“Damn… and I thought I had prime mark placement.” He winks at Steve, whose blush darkens. 

_I’ve got to get out of here, I can’t handle all this adorable, fluffy crap._ “Let’s go swimming!”

I grab my towel – black, to keep anyone from getting territorial. And, yes, Natasha made the requisite jokes about how I was trying to tell the boys I was hers. Tony and I go ahead, while Steve hangs back to change.

Loki and Natasha have beaten us to the beach. It’s weird to see them in something so informal as swimsuits. I think Tony outfitted them with the swimsuits and gear, as Nat’s wearing a monokini with the mandatory black widow hourglass, she’s lying on a black towel with a matching insignia, and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have picked that out for herself.

Loki has pulled a chair into the shade to read, his towel thrown over the chair’s back. He’s wearing boxer-brief style swim trunks with gold and green detailing, and his hair is pulled back into a French braid, which takes me by surprise. I know he wouldn’t have let Nat do that, so it’s his work. The wind catches the towel, causing it to billow out from the chair. It proves once and for all that Tony supplied the beach gear, as it has the image of Loki’s helmet with the words “I’m Always Horny” emblazoned along the edge. He’s completely engrossed in the book on his lap. The wind carries snaps of his mutterings to our ears. “I don’t think… ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ … Ha! Mortals…” and suddenly I realize: the magic-using demigod is reading Harry Potter. Tony and I are left to chuckle as Steve jogs up.

“What are you guys laughing at?” 

“You wouldn’t get it even if we told you, Cap.” Tony replies with a full-throated laugh. It’s enough to catch Loki’s attention, who scowls at us briefly before returning to his book.

“Come on! Last one in is a rotten egg!” I sprint for the water, Steve matching my pace easily, but choosing not to pass me. _Ah, how chivalrous._ I trip him.

Tony laughs hard enough that he almost trips over Steve, both of us beating Steve into the water. We high-five out past the break. Over the crash of the waves, I can hear Loki and Nat laughing. I go to catch Nat’s eye, and realize she caught the whole thing on camera. _I’m going to talk Tony into making that come up on every screen Steve goes to use!_

Steve’s watching us from the edge of the water. “You think that’s funny?”

“Pretty damn funny!” I call back.

“Oh, really?” Is all the warning we get before he practically flies into the water. I scream, Tony launches himself away from me.

Steve tackles me, sending a spray of water towards Tony at the same time with a free hand.

And so the war of the waves begins.

* * *

Tony retires to the shore long before Steve and I do. The roughhousing and the sheer weight of the water has pulled the skirt down to my hipbones, but I don’t pay it any mind.  
As we finally leave the water, I can see that Nat’s made her way inside. Tony’s lounging on a super-plush red towel, with mine folded next to him. He’s got a blue version underneath mine, waiting for Steve. They’re already adapting to the quiet intimacy of our relationship. That thought warms me more than the Hawaiian sunshine. 

Loki’s still in his chair, which has moved with the shadows. He glances up as we emerge from the water, his eyes returning to his book for only a second before they shoot back to me. He narrows his eyes at me, his eyes focused at hip-level. It makes me self-conscious, and I move to pull the band of my skirt up, to cover my belly. Before my hands have moved the skirt a centimeter, Loki’s there, holding my wrists, his eyes focused on my hip. I finally look down and realize it’s one of my two odd-looking soulmate marks that he’s looking at. The one sits along the curve of my hip, in that fluid, elegant script. I don’t know what language it is. His eyes flit to mine, then back to the mark. They slide across to my other hip, and his lips curl in a sneer. The other mark seems like the same language, but is in a stronger, almost confident-looking handwriting. My eyes search his face. _What is he…?_

He whips me around, pulling me up with one arm around my waist. Suddenly I’m airborne. Loki glides swiftly across the sand, pausing only to whip his towel around me, wrapping me tightly in the tropical-air-warmed fabric. I finally get my mind organized enough to yell.

“Loki, what the FUCK?!”

I can hear Tony and Steve yelling at Loki from the beach. Steve’s tired from our full day in the water, and Tony’s human, so Loki easily outpaces them. I’m wrapped like a burrito. I try to struggle, and he switches his hold to the flippin’ princess carry. Again. _Seriously? What is with him and this hold?_

We arrive in his room, and he sets me on the edge of the bed, without unwrapping me. I try to wiggle free as he locks the door and paces. I’m unsuccessful. 

“Loki, what the _hell_ is going on?” You know, it’s hard to feel dignified when you look like an oversized sushi roll. But I kinda pull it off, if I do say so myself.

“Do you know what those marks say?” He demands, pointing to my hips.

“… No? Why, do you? Do you know what language this is?”

“Asgardian.”

“On both hips?”

He nods. I realize I only know about two Asgardians on Earth, which means that I’m unlikely to run into these soulmates unless I travel to Asgard. Now that I’m getting to know the soulmates I’ve found, I’m not sure what to do about that. The old me would have avoided Asgard like the plague. Being with Steve and Tony is making me rethink my thoughts on soulmates.

He kneels next to my burrito self, running his thumb over one of my hips. How he could find it with the towel’s folds, I don’t know, but I can feel the pressure over the nerves there, and the urge to squirm under his touch makes me feel incredibly guilty. We’re not doing anything wrong, but I feel like I’m cheating on my boyfriend. Boyfriend _s_ , I guess.

“What is it, Loki?” Straight to the point. It seems like the best option.

“This mark… It says ‘mine.’” He’s not giving me eye contact, and I don’t know why.

“Okay, so it says ‘mine.’ So what?” He gives me eye contact.

“Do you remember my first words to you?”

“Um…” I have to think back. “You said…”

* * *

"Put your hands up!" Crap. More soldiers. I look past Loki to see if the Lieutenant is among them. He's near them but not helping them. _To be fair, it's hard to help when your head is not attached to your body._ Loki's smirk turns to a scowl.

"You see this girl? This girl is mine." He looks at me. " _Mine._ "

* * *

“I… You said-”

“Mine.” I know it’s not something that happens, but I could swear that the mark pulsed in recognition.

_He… he can’t be my soulmate. Can he?_


	23. Three's a Crowd, Four's a Pain in the Ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, Quinn, for giving me the kick in the ass I needed to post this. I've been holding on to it, b/c I know Loki's voice isn't quite right. But I can always fix that later.

Tony’s hair is sticking up in every direction again.

“So one of your other soulmates is that… that… that _prat_?” He’s pacing, and Steve and I watch him from our seats on his California King sized bed.

“Look, I’m as surprised as you are. I am… I didn’t even know what this writing was, much less what it meant.”

“And you didn’t even think to try to find out?”

“Tony, I… Steve, help.”

“Leave her alone, Tony. She didn’t want soulmates, remember. And she didn’t choose him, any more than she chose us. Besides, it’ll be good for Loki to have a soulmate from Earth. It’ll keep him from rampaging again.”

“So we’re supposed to just trust that he won’t hurt her? He’s an Asgardi- technically, he’s a Frost Giant. How do we know that he won’t- He’s a son-of-a-”

“TONY.” I’ve had enough. “Like it or not, he’s my soulmate. I’m giving you a chance. Now I’m asking you to give _him_ a chance. Scratch that. I’m _telling_ you to give him a chance.”

He looks to Steve, but Steve just nods his agreement. “Fine.” I can feel the heat of his gaze when he turns it on me. His eyes have gone almost caramel with anger brightening them. “But if he hurts one hair on your head? I will make what he did to New York look like child’s play. And I’ll limit the damage to one snobby, spoiled brat.”

He stomps his way over to the bedroom door. “And he’s not sleeping in here!”

The door slams behind him, and Steve and I wince.

“So… that was…”

“Awful?” I offer.

“I was going to say intense, but awful works.” He gives me a wry smile. “Are you going to go talk to him?”

“I’m going to let him cool down first.”

“Sorry, I meant are you going to talk to Loki? He’s probably feeling a bit… left out.”

“Oh…” I think about it. “That’s a good idea… I should probably figure out sleeping arrangements, too. I don’t want him to feel like he’s not an equal to my other soulmates.”

“I understand.” 

“Thanks, Steve.” I hug him. “Now to go deal with my new soulmate. My… third… Oh my gosh, this is crazy.”

“Yup. But life usually is.” He winks at me, then stands to pull me to my feet. “Go on, go talk to him.” He gives me a light shove towards the door. _Well, here goes nothing…_

* * *

“So… Soulmates.” _Well, it’s a start. It’s not a great start, but it’s a start._

“Yes.” He’s watching me with that calculating look of his… I’m not sure what to make of it. I’m feeling twitchy, watching him sitting so calmly on his bed.

“Um… I’m willing to… to give this a chance.”

“Are you? Mmm.” _What the heck is that supposed to mean?_

“Yeah… I guess I’ll go… move my stuff.”

“What? What are you talking about?” He’s between the door and me before I can blink.

“I- I thought you’d heard… But I’m moving my stuff into a spare room.”

“As opposed to?”

“We…” I can feel my face warming. “We were all going to… to stay in Tony’s room.”

“No.”

“I know, I’m taking care of it-”

“No, I don’t want you to move to a spare room. Not because of me.”

“What? I’m not moving in with you.”

“I want you to stay in their room.”

“Why?”

“I heard the way you talked about soulmates. Everyone spoke of it. Bets were laid. The Iron Man and the Captain have changed the way you talk about us, how you think about us. We will find our way to each other’s side.” 

I’m not sure what to say… If it had been me in Loki’s place, I don’t know what I would have done.

“It just… it doesn’t seem fair to you. Is there any way– I could– There should be time for us.”

He’s smiling at me now, and I can see the past hurts in his eyes. He’s used to being shoved to the side, and he wasn’t prepared for the possibility that someone would want to put him first. I think I’m finally seeing what the whole soulmate experience is about. _Demigods help me, I’m starting to look forward to finding my fourth soulmate._

He breaks eye contact, and I look around the room… and the first thing I see is the Harry Potter book he’d been reading. Inspiration.

“Loki?” His eyes raise to mine. “Would you… read to me? I haven’t read Harry Potter in years…”

The boyish smile almost split his face in two. Along with my heart.

“It would be an honor.”


	24. Reconciliation Never Was So Fun

As I return to the room, I find my favorite Dorito - and yes, I want to lick him - packing his suitcase.

"What's up?"

His eyes meet mine, and he shrugs with a smile. "I'm packing up."

"Why?"

"I'm not staying in here with Tony."

"You called?" comes from right over my shoulder, and I almost punch Tony in the face from the fright. He catches my wrist at the last second. "Easy." His eyes are twinkling at me, and he seems to have calmed down.

"I went and talked to Loki." All the humor disappears from his eyes at the name.

"Oh." He releases my wrist, and moves past me into the room, staring down at the oversized bed. I creep up behind him, put my arms around him (despite his resistance), and nuzzle into into his back. Steve moves up behind me, creating my favorite type of sandwich; a soulmate sandwich. I giggle, giving over to the weirdness of it. When Tony tries to pull away, I pull him closer. "Look," he says, still not relaxing into me. "I'll start helping you get packed."

Steve pulls away, moving back to his packing.

"Tony." I finally let him go, but when he turns to leave, I push him into a sitting position on the bed. Pressing my advantage, I straddle him, and wiggle until I'm comfortable, and he's.... Not. _Gods, but I love the way he feels..._ I nuzzle his neck, nipping my way down toward his shoulder as he moans, until he takes my hair in hand and pulls me away from his neck. The world is shining, but I fight the subspace, trying to stay in the now.

"Luna," he groans as I shift again on his lap, delighting in the feel of him. "Luna, we've got to focus."

"Says who?" I'm giggly.

"Says me." He looks at me sternly, and I feel myself floating even higher. "We've got to get you packed up."

"Why?"

"So we can move you into a guest room." He looks sad, but resigned.

"No."

He sighs, pulling me into a hug, stroking one hand down my back. "Sweetheart, you wanted me to give Loki a chance. And I'm trying. Fuck, am I trying. And as much as I'd love to keep you here, I'm trying to play fair. Like you wanted."

I pull away to look into his eyes, then lean in, letting my breath play across his ear as I whisper "Loki gave the okay."

"What?" This time he's the one pulling away to look into my eyes. "Why would he do that?"

I shrug. "Apparently he knows that before you two started...." I blush. "'Working' on me.... I wasn't the soulmate sort. He said he thinks you two are good for me, so he wants me to sleep here." I lean in, take his earlobe in my mouth, and suck gently on it, finally giving it a light nip before moving up to whisper again. "With you."

While he's processing that information, I take the opportunity to nibble his neck again. After a moment, I feel him moving a little bit, and that's all the warning I get before I'm face down on the mattress, one of Tony's hands between my shoulder blades, and Steve holding my wrists against the mattress above my head.

"You understand we're going to have to punish you for making us worry."

"What, you were worried, Tin Man? I never would have-" Funny thing, it's hard to finish a sentence when someone spanks you in the middle of it.

"What was that you were saying?" I can't resist the challenge in his voice... I never said I was smart.

"I said 'I never would have guessed you were worried, Tin Man.'" I wait for the blow, but it doesn't come. I start to wiggle, but Steve places one hand at the small of my back, and that is enough to keep me still.

A soft "plop" catches my attention, and I turn to look at what has been put next to my head on the bed. The silicon dragontail flogger starts me moving against the bed in an entirely different manner, which Steve won't allow, either. I groan when he presses down on the small of my back so I can't get that delicious friction any more.

"Stoplight safewords?"

I nod in agreement, eager to get started. The world is already bright, and I can feel myself edging into subspace.

"I want verbal confirmation, Luna."

"Yes!"

"Yes, what?"

"Yes... please?"

His hand is in my hair, turning me to look at him, his intense gaze sending shivers down my spine. "Yes, _what_?"

I fight through subspace for some sort of clarity. "... Yes... Sir?"

"And do you agree to the silicon dragontail?"

"YES, Sir!"

He grins at me, seeing the slight movement my hips are making despite the weight of Steve's hand. "Good. I do love irony." He grabs the dragontail, and moves back out of sight, the anticipation putting me on edge. I try to turn my head, but Tony's having none of that. "Steve, grab her hair." I'm higher than a kite, everything feels amazing, and I didn't know I could go any higher... Until Steve brings his hand to my hair, keeping my face down so I can't see Tony, can't prepare for the strikes.

When the first one falls, the sensation is so intense, I cry out. My nerve endings are firing continuously, and it feels like he's just left the dragontail there. There's a second strike, and I start wondering if he brought two dragontails. It isn't until the third strike that it clicks that no, he didn't leave the dragontail on the first strike, there isn't a second one, it's just the one. I can hear him talking to Steve at the back of my mind, something about where to strike on the body safely. I try to count the strikes, which come when I least expect it, and don't keep a rhythm any longer than it takes me to adjust to said rhythm. Pretty soon it becomes obvious that I don't have the presence of mind for that, and I give over to the sensation of Steve's hand around my wrists, the other in my hair, and the carefully placed strikes that Tony is delivering. 

I never call yellow, or red.

I don't really remember the session coming to an end. We are all just cuddled up in bed the next moment, with me in the middle. Back in my favorite sandwich. My head is on Tony's chest, and he is murmuring, asking me questions, making sure I am okay. I love the feel of the vibrations, the way his heart is still racing. I float along while Tony's talking to Steve about the importance of aftercare for both Doms and subs. I finally come down, just before I fall asleep, when Steve's breath is deep and even, and Tony's heart rate drops down to normal.


	25. The Breaking Point

It isn't until the next morning, when I'm struggling to wake back up, that Tony's words hit me. "Wait, what?" _How? He... That doesn't make any sense. He can't possibly know. Can he?_ The thought wakes me up immediately. I poke his side, and he merely grabs my wrist, pulling me back into the circle of his arms, tucking my head under his chin. If he was a cat, he'd be purring. The warmth, paired with the memory of last night, makes it incredibly hard to push him away. But somehow I manage it. "Tony. Tooooooony!" I push him onto his back, straddling his abs so I can poke and prod at him. "Anthony-Something-Stark!" He finally cracks an eye at me. _Progress!_

"What did you call me?" He rumbles. _Straddling him may not have been the wisest choice..._

"Anthony. That's your name, isn't it?" I try to look authoritarian. I'm failing at it, but I'm trying. Steve's shaking with laughter on the other side of the bed, which really isn't helping matters.

"Nobody calls me Anthony. But what did you say my middle name was?" Steve's shaking harder, now. I know he was awake before I was, as he has that irritating habit of morning jogs. I'm not sure why he missed out on that today.

I mumble in reply, then yelp as Mount Anthony moves beneath me, and I go sliding back into his lap. He catches my chin in his hand, making me meet his eyes.

" _What did you say?_ "

I attempt to dismount, hoping to gain some distance, and feel Steve's hands close over my hips. He rests his head on my shoulder, his breath tickling the side of my neck and along my jaw. "I'd answer the man, Luna. You don't want to get in-" His voice drops. " _trouble._ "

I shudder, which sets off an answering shudder in Tony. I can't help but grin at that, but the grin is short-lived when his hand catches my hair. "What. Did. You. Say?" He bites off each word. _I wish he was biting me... FOCUS, Luna!_

Another tug on my hair is all it takes to dislodge the words from my mouth. "ANTHONY-SOMETHING-STARK! Damn it!" 

One side of his mouth kicks up. "'Anthony-Something-Stark?"

I can feel Steve's chest shaking against my back.

"Oh, yes, very funny. Veeeery funny. Laugh it up, you two." I try again to dismount, but Steve's still got ahold of my hips. "What, like you know everyone's middle name? I oughta smack you." With that, both of them are laughing aloud. I push off against Tony's chest, catching Steve off-balance. I roll backwards, then off to the side, freeing myself of the two of them. "Yuk it up, you two." I grab my bathrobe off the wall, and decide to go find a spare bedroom.

"Edward."

I whirl to face them. "What?" I seethe.

"Anthony Edward Stark." He steps off the bed, somehow managing to make the task look graceful. "That's my full name, but everyone calls me Tony." He's stepping carefully, his eyes on mine, looking for all the world like he's approaching a wounded animal. "Okay?"

"Okay..." I mutter begrudgingly. He scoops me up into his arms, tucking my head back under his chin.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be." I grumble half-heartedly.

"Now, what did you want?"

"What?" His warmth is so darn soothing.

"You were trying to get my attention earlier? What was it?"

"Um... OH! What did you mean 'I do love irony?'"

He stiffens against me. "Oh, it was just a random thought."

I pull away. "Yeah, 'random.' That's why you're all tense now, right?" I can feel all the muscles in my body tensing in response, readying for a fight.

"What's going on?" Steve's looking back and forth between us, not sure what to do.

"Tell him, Tony. Tell him why I'm pissed off."

He stares at me a long moment before his shoulders drop, and he sighs. "I hacked Luna's file."

"You _what_?!" Steve looks like he's going to explode. "How could you- _Why_ would you- When did you-"

"After I saw her wings. Back on our first mission? To get you?"

Steve's eyes widen. "Wings? What are you talking about?"

"She had wings. Like, bat wings-" I make a small offended noise at that. _Bat wings? Tin Man, please._ "I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do. She had massive wings, she's clearly not human... I wanted to know about my soulmate, and she was so ... _prickly_... I figured that was the best option."

I snort through my nose, and glare at him.

"So you hacked her file?"

"Yeah." Tony runs his hands through his hair, then takes a seat back on the bed. "I didn't know what else to do."

"What did it say?"

" _STEVE!_ " I can't believe what I'm hearing. _E tu, Stevie?_

"They don't know what she is. They've got a couple of different ideas written down, but none definitive. 'Dragon' stood out to me, and that's what I thought of when I grabbed the whip."

"Is that what you are?" Steve turns his baby blues on me, and for once in my life, I'm immune.

"That's none of your goddamn business." I stalk out of the room, slamming the door on their protests. I can feel tears burning behind my eyes. It's done. I'm done. This whole idea was a farce.

I grab my laptop off the living room table, and lock myself in a guest bedroom, deaf to the pleas outside my door.

I have a letter of resignation to write.


	26. On the Road Again

The call came in even sooner than I expected. "What do you mean you're quitting? What the fuck are you doing?" _Ah, Fury. Gotta love that sunshine-and-lollipops attitude of his._

"The deal was that if this didn't work out, you'd let me go, and keep everyone else off my ass, yes?"

"... Yes?" 

"It didn't work out."

"Ms.-"

"NO, Fury. We had a deal. You're going to stand by it, or I'm going to have to show you _exactly_ what I can do."

Silence stretches between us. I can feel Fury weighing his options, but I know what choice he is going to have to make. S.H.I.E.L.D. might not know the full extent of my abilities, or even what I am, but they know enough that he knows he can't afford to stand against me. "Fine. There's a safe house in Indiana-"

"Actually, I'm going off the grid for a while. Different country, new start." It feels like my heart has been put in a vise. "Somewhere even Stark can't hack." 

"... Are you sure you're alright, Luna?" The bitterness in my voice has tipped Cueball off. Time to go.

"It was nice knowing you, Cueball."

"Nice knowing you- Wait, what did you call m-" I end the call, smiling slightly.

For a moment I stand in the empty guest bedroom, thinking about how fast everything has fallen apart. I consider sneaking back into the master bedroom to retrieve my stuff, but the only thing I had cared about in that luggage was my new swimsuit. And now I can hardly stand to think about it.

I zap to my quarters in Avengers tower, my things flying into boxes, every part of my life being packed away again. I send the majority of my stuff to storage, grabbing only a couple bags of clothes before I'm off again. _I've heard India is lovely this time of year._

* * *

I choose a very small village in India, and decide to take the time to relax, get back to the person I was before. Everything feels a little raw, and there are tiny welts and a couple of cuts from the dragontail. They're healing incredibly quickly, and I'm torn. Half of me wants the reminder of how good it was. Half of me wants there to be no evidence that I'd ever met the boys. I keep catching my hand wandering down to a particularly tender spot, and I have to keep reminding myself to leave it alone. The locals are incredibly friendly, and are startled by my speaking Hindi, especially my lack of accent. I'm blending in while standing out, as I don't look like a local, but I sound like one. 

I spend at least the first 30 minutes of the day in meditation in remote spots, and there are days when I spend hours removed from the world. I'm trying to put on my emotional armor, piece by piece. 

Problem is, I can't seem to find it.


	27. I Miss the Mountains

_This may be my new daily routine...._ I've made it a habit to venture into the mountains of Kerala for my morning meditation, then make my way back to the sea to swim. India's a beautiful country, but in some small ways reminds me of what I've left behind. The palm trees remind me of Hawaii. The salt in the air, the fact that I don't wear the bikini I wore there... The mountains are my retreat, help me clear my head in the clear air, find balance again. I almost want to run further inland, but I refuse to do so, because deep down that seems too cowardly, to give up this beautiful place because of _them._

I sigh, breathing in the (late) morning, trying to clear my mind, bring back the emotional armor that even now I haven't been able to reconstruct. A familiar scent tickles my nose. I've been smelling it off and on during my meditations for the last couple of weeks, but I can't place it. _I still haven't gotten the hang of this... I think my butt's falling asleep... Is it better to sit through that, or should I re-arrange myself?_ I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I almost don't hear him when he speaks.

"Do all humans do this?" 

_It seems like it won't be effective if I'm thinking about my butt. Maybe- wait, what?_

"It seems that mortals waste much of their time."

 _Ah. I know that voice._ I don't even open an eye to look at the face I haven't seen in a couple months. "Go away, Loki."

"I will not."

 _The scent I've been smelling is the fresh, clean scent of... Loki._ It's a startling revelation. I open my eyes, turning to look at him. He's standing between me and the sun, and all I can see is his silhouette, my eyes refusing to adjust to the bright daylight. "How long have you been coming here?"

He lifts one shoulder in a move so graceful, it almost seems wrong to call it a "shrug."

"I'm not going back, Loki. After what Tony did-"

"Stark is a fool."

"And he's got all the power of S.H.I.E.LD. at his fingertips." My eyes had finally adjusted.

"That he's allowed to remain the Man of Iron shows S.H.I.E.L.D. to be no wiser."

That caught my attention. "True..."

His head cocked to the side, his eyes searching my face. "But that is not the matter I came here to discuss with you."

"So you're not here to drag me back?" The smile he gave would have been intimidating, were I a lesser woman. "Then why _are_ you here?"

"To ask you a question."

"Shoot."

He dropped to one knee, taking my chin in hand, still blocking out the sun. His eyes locked with mine. "Little Dragon... Are you not a woman of your word?"

 _Is he trying to piss me off, too?_ "Of course I'm a woman of my word." I bit out.

One eyebrow raised, almost mockingly. "And yet, you left."

"Fury and I had an agreement that if it didn't work for me, I could leave if I wanted to." I tried to raise my chin (a defiant habit I'd never quite managed to hide), but his fingers tightened on me.

"Yes, so I understand." His eyes darkened. "But he's not the only one you gave your word to."

My mind raced. _Who-_

The images flew to my mind.

_“Loki?” His eyes raise to mine. “Would you… read to me? I haven’t read Harry Potter in years…”_

_The boyish smile almost split his face in two. Along with my heart._

_“It would be an honor.”_

Sudden understanding brings tears to my eyes. This man, who's only ever been abandoned, seems to be have been left by the one person that should have cared enough not to.

One minute, Loki was in control, my chin held in his hand. The next, he was shocked to find himself the one being held, my arms wrapping around him in a hug. "I'm so sorry. I-" His arms come around me, almost hesitant, to return the hug. And when he relaxes into it, I lose it. The tears that I've managed to hold back spill over, and I cry while he awkwardly smoothes a hand down my back.

It's a while before I get myself back under control. I'd like to say that all of the stress with my other two soulmates had caught up with me... In fact, I tried to say that, but Loki just gave me that _look._ "I know... I- I'm just sorry, okay?" I try to run my hand through my hair, getting it hopelessly ensnared within seconds (I may or may not have forgotten my hair was in a bun...). Loki patiently retrieves my hand, one of his hands smoothing my hair almost unconsciously. He still seems tense, and I can't blame him.

"Alright, Loki. I'll- I'll come back. But I'm not going to deal with Star Spangled Stupid and Iron Idiot." I try - and fail - to look stern.

He frowns at me a moment, then his face brightens. "I've got a better idea."

"What-"

"Heimdall?"

_Oh, I've also heard it's a lovely time of year to visit Asgard..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points if you got the chapter title reference. If you didn't: https://youtu.be/Rt09n4O-OrE?t=1m12s
> 
> The lyrics make me think of where she's coming from with Tony and Steve, and how she feels now... If you want some character insight, this is the song to listen to for this point in the story.


	28. The Girl with a Short Skirt and a Loooong... Cloak

Asgard is everything I expected... and more. With Loki's antiquated way of talking (particularly when he was in one of his _moods_ ), it was easy to forget that he came from a technologically advanced society. Everything is so shiny and gorgeous, and integrated with nature... Everything a magick-user could ask for. And yes, I now understand why dragons want to hoard shiny things. Don't judge my life choices...

And I love the clothing. At first, Frigga had tried to dress me like her, but as much as I love long, elegant dresses, they're not for everyday wear. So I'd talked her into the step between her clothing and Lady Sif's; knee-length dresses and skirts, sometimes with leggings, with a floor-length cloak in case I get too cold. Perfect.

The one downside here is that since everything is connected to technology, I am having a hard time of it. Technology doesn't seem to like me, no matter where I go... which means I am relying on magick a lot more than I would have at home.... while still trying to pretend that I can't do magic. Because, really, the less people know about my abilities, the more tricks up my sleeve at any given fight. What? Be prepared, I always say.

Some of the fauna resembles that of Earth... and there are greenhouses with fauna from Earth's different regions. I like to go there, as it helps with my homesickness. Odd, I never thought of the places I lived as "home," but as a whole, the Earth has that same call... And I've felt it for the past couple weeks as we've stayed in Asgard.

I inhale the scent of wildflowers, sitting in the greenhouse that most resembles Glacier National Park.

"Your tea will get cold."

"You know it irritates the hell outta me when you pop in like that." I reply, not bothering to open my eyes.

"And you, little mortal, know how much I love to irritate you." I can hear the smile in Loki's voice.

"You're not going to leave until I come have my tea, are you?"

"No."

"Bossy lil shit, aren't you?" I get up, glancing at Loki for a moment. 

"You forget to eat when I leave you alone. And tea tastes better with good company." _That calm, collected demeanor... not one hair outta place... Makes me wanna ruffle his feathers. Or, maybe..._

I reach out, ruffling Loki's hair, then make a dash for the door, arriving a fraction of a second too late. Loki's hand slams into the door, his body pressed along the line of my back. I smirk, turning in his arms.

"Why do you smile, little mortal? I have won." He returns my smirk.

"Ah, but you forget, _little Loki_... I'm no mere mortal." And I pop to the other side of the door, and keep running, thankful for the short skirt, but cursing my decision not to wear leggings today, as my modesty is threatened with every step. I hear the greenhouse door slam open, then shut a moment later, the deceptively light footsteps giving away Loki's use of magick.

I practically fly through the hallways, past the great hall, giving a nod to Frigga as I pass. I get the distinct impression that she's giggling, having figured out what was going on, but I have no time to stop and chat. I skid around another corner, sneaking a peek over my shoulder to see how far behind Loki is. I've been augmenting my running abilities, so I've maintained some of my lead, but his longer strides are covering quite a bit of ground.

_I think I can make it, though. Only a few more corridors to go..._

I skid through the next corner, risking another glance, and-

**_"OOF!"_ **

And suddenly, I'm on my ass, staring up at another Norse legend, along with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. Since I've already met four of them, it's not hard to figure out who the fifth is.

I open my mouth to speak, but in that same moment, Loki's hand closes over my mouth, and he whips us to face away from Thor.

"Good afternoon, brother." Loki's tone is terse, lacking all of the joy of a moment ago. I try to turn my head to look at him, but he keeps it pinned between his chest and the hand on my mouth.

"Who do you have there?"

Loki gets even more tense... I hadn't known it was possible. "No one. She's no one."

And we're turning. I see Thor's hands on Loki's shoulders; forcing him to turn, with me along for the ride. I wave awkwardly at Thor, who smiles.

"She does not look like no one, brother."

"I assure you she is. Just a mortal. No one of consequence." _I hate to admit it, but that stings a bit... Oh, my (sexy) gods, I think I might be falling for Loki! Even though he's a lil shit!_

"Is that so?" Thor's eyes are appraising the situation... and for all that Loki snarks about how thick-headed Thor is, I believe he sees more than Loki gives him credit for.

"Yes." Loki bites out.

Thor stoops down, bringing his eyes level with mine, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "You look absolutely delicious."

Loki's hold tightens on me. I grab his hand, pulling it away from my mouth before he can resist. "I'd like to lick you up and down." I half-joke back. What? I've got eyes....

Everyone stills. The Warriors Three are staring at me intently, Sif's watching Thor closely, and Loki and Thor seem to have turned to stone. "What? What did I say?" Oh, gods, please tell me I didn't make a royal screw-up in front of the princes of Asgard and their friends....

Thor's eyes turn stoney, as he turns them on Loki. "You knew, brother?"

 _Okay, clearly I missed something._ "Knew what? What's going on?"

They're having a glare-off over my head. And I don't like being ignored. 

I step out of the circle of Loki's arms. Neither of them bother to look at me. 

_Alright, no more little miss nice dragon..._ I start summoning energy, looking at Thor. He's staring Loki down, which is pissing me off. Who, me? Overprotective? Hell, yes.

When I'm ready to strike, I take aim, and - at the last second - my sense of humor takes over. Me being me, I decide to send Thor flying. With lightning. Because reasons.

Thor flying ass over teakettle is a marvelous sight. 10/10, would recommend. "Now will somebody tell me what the fuck is going on, or do I need to kick everybody's ass? 'Cause I'll do it. I swear to... to your dad, I will!" I let lightning play around my fingers, enjoying the flow of energy.

"I like her!" The large one cries out (making me jump, but damned if I'll admit that), and for the first time, I realize I haven't learned the individual names of the Warriors Three, since they're always together...

And with that, the weird moment is broken. Loki grabs me up into his arms, and flees down the corridor, our tea forgotten. Heavy footsteps pound the ground behind us, and when I peek over Loki's shoulder, I can see Thor running after us, the other four following behind him, getting outpaced by the two brothers. Then Loki uses the hand that is resting behind my shoulder to pull me down out of sight. 

"Loki, put me down..." I grumble. I'm pretty sure it won't do any good, but no harm in trying.

He ignores me, hurtling into his room, the doors slamming shut behind us, the sound of the locking mechanism echoing ominously through the room. He carries me over to his expansive bed, places me down gently, and pulls out the Harry Potter book we've been reading. 

_What is he-_ "So... no tea, then?"

He settles back into his customary slouch against the headboard, then beckons me to join him. I'm about to crawl over when the pounding begins on the door.

"Um... shouldn't you get that?"

"Pay it no mind... My brother has always been overdramatic. What chapter are we on?" _Oh, look, the pot's calling the kettle black..._ I'd say it out loud, but then there'd be consequences... _Delicious consequences... On second thought-_

"Loki, open this door!" Thor thunders from the hallway. _I see his name is apt._

"Why is he flipping out?" Finally, a reaction. A raise of a single, solitary eyebrow, but a reaction nonetheless. "You know what I mean."

"Why do you wish to know?" We're successfully ignoring the pounding that the poor door is taking, by some miracle. 

"Because it's not every day a man as powerful as Thor goes on a rampage?"

"You do not know him very well."

I can feel my face pale. "He's... always like that? And Fury still lets him work- on second hand, he employed Stark, so... But I kinda thought he'd be more like, well, you."

"He has calmed down. He was worse before he went to Earth."

"He used to be worse?"

"He has not had a tantrum like this in ages." I look into his eyes, and I could swear he's hurting, but I can't figure out why... Loki sets the book aside, and smoothes my hair, one of the soothing gestures he'd picked up in our time together. _I love it when he does this... Well, not as much as- OoooooOOOOOOoohh..._ As if he is reading my thoughts, Loki starts using his fingertips, his nails scratching down my back, along my spine. His fingers always seem to know exactly where to go.

I'm mindlessly draped across Loki's lap, shamelessly given over to the power of "scritches" as we call them, when the door shatters. I barely have the energy to open an eye, and take in the Mjolnir-wielding god as he storms - I know, I'm awful - over to the bed. His friends trail after him cautiously, hovering by the doorway. 

"What have you done to her?" He demands, glaring down at my sweet, wonderful, amazing Loki and I... Okay, scritches may make me a much happier/nicer person...

"Nothing that she did not want done to her. I told you, brother," the word is clearly an insult, now, "mortals crave subjugation. This one is no exception."

 _Hey, if scritches are on the line, I don't mind doing a little kneeling... Heck, if Loki's on the line at all, I'll kneel._ I practically purr at the thought. And then I'm airborne.

Thor hands me off to the large warrior who had shouted earlier, before picking Loki up by the lapels of his jacket. Loki doesn't seem concerned, but I'm worried enough for the both of us. I try to squirm out of the warrior's arms, but his friends grab hold of me as well. 

Lady Sif comes into my line of sight. "Don't worry, he'll be alright."

"I'll be the judge of that... Let me go!" I try to wriggle free, but their hands are quick- every time I get a limb free, they grab it again. I don't want to hurt them, but I will if I have to.

"They need to work through it themselves." One of the boys grunts at me.

I can hear them fighting, but I can't see anything... and when everything goes silent, I panic. Remember that lil detail about me being a dragon? Yeah... don't piss off the dragon, guys.

One moment I'm human, the next, I'm a cat-sized dragon, one of my favorite secondary forms. I slip out of the boys' arms, smacking them all with tail and wings as I go, then fly above Thor and Loki to perch in the shadows while they're disoriented. Thor has Loki pinned, Mjolnir resting on Loki's chest.

_Oh, no, you didn't._

One of the warriors cries out "THOR!" And the blond god turns to look at them. "I- She-"

"You lost her?" comes out as a quiet threat as he stalks back towards them, knowing Loki's taken care of.

I sneak down a column, then slither between table legs, wings tucked tight against my body. I sidle up to Loki, lying against the side of his body to stay as concealed as possible as I check out the hammer. A quick glance shows the other five in the room looking at the ceiling, searching for me.

As I sniff at Mjolnir, I feel something, something odd. On a hunch, I reach out with my mind. Mjolnir's sentient. And he likes me! _Oh, this'll be fun._

"There!"

When I shift, it's already too late for them. I grab the hammer, pulling it off Loki's chest as if it weighed only as much as a feather. "I don't think I gave you permission to hurt my Loki." I resist the urge to look down at him, knowing he's making a priceless face... I'd forgotten I was wearing a knee-length skirt... and now that I'm standing, straddling Loki - hey, it was the best way to grab Mjolnir and get a good fighting stance! - he's got _quite_ the view.

"You... you can wield Mjolnir?" Lady Sif asks.

"What, like it's hard?" I twirl it nonchalantly. I'm in a sassy mood, and y'all are asking for it!

Thor holds his hand up to silence any other questions from his friends, then puts them up in the classic "I'm unarmed" gesture as he slowly walks toward me. I go to step toward him, but Loki's got ahold of my ankles. I spare a quick glare at him, but he doesn't let go.

"I do not wish to fight you... What is your name?"

"'None-of-your-goddamn-business,' now stop moving!" One of Loki's hands is trailing up and down my calf, which is distracting as all hell. And Thor doesn't stop walking toward us.

"Luna-"

"Shush, Loki, I'm concentrating."

"Luna, is it?" Thor's almost within reach. I draw back Mjolnir, taking aim, and suddenly Loki's not beneath me anymore. He's behind me, his hands closed around mine, as if this was some cheesy rom-com and he was teaching me how to golf...You know, with a hammer from mythology. Okay, so I'm not the best at analogies... 

"Loki? What-" 

Thor uses the distraction to his advantage, plucking Mjolnir out of my grip.

Loki's arms remain around me, pulling me back into him.

Thor sets down Mjolnir out of my reach, his hands returning to their "unarmed" position. "My brother is too possessive for his own good..." He cocks his head to one side. "You are lovelier than I dared imagine." His smile is more disarming than his posture, but I'm still pissed enough to remain unaffected... mostly.

"What's it to you?" I snarl back. He may have his puppy-dog act down, but I'm a cat person.

He stops, and I can see the cogs turning in his head. Then he does the last thing I expected.

He starts stripping down.

"What- what are you doing?" As more skin is revealed, I discover a newfound fascination and appreciation for the work that went into the ceiling, as I try to look everywhere except at him.

I hear a few more pieces hit the floor, then he's before me, his face blocking out the ceiling. "Didja have to be so damn _tall?_ " 

He looks inexplicably hurt, then gently takes hold of my chin, turning my face downward. "Look."

At first I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at (and may or may not be distracted by certain muscular deliciousness), but then I see his soulmate mark, which starts on his ribs and trails downward. "'I'd like to lick you up...'" His mark disappears into his pants, but I recognize the handwriting, so I know how it ends. "'and down....'" I finish. _Oh. Oh, no. Oh, nonononono._ " **YOU?** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to auntjilly89 for making me write some more!


	29. Dreams

I stare up at the blond god, not quite sure what to do. One traitorous hand floats upwards to brush along the words he's been marked with. My fingers trail across the waistline of his trousers, taking in the slight flinch at my cold touch, the warmth of his skin soothing against my fingertips. His eyes dilate as I watch, his breath catching as my hand slides up his body. My palm finally comes to rest above the words, right over his heart. His pulse is racing against my hand.

Loki's arms tighten around me, and it finally sinks in what I'm doing. I go to jerk my hand away, but one of Thor's large hands covers mine, holding it to his chest, the other joining it a moment later. I can feel the blood that had drained from my face with realization rushing back, with interest. _I'm blushing. Et tu, body?_

We stand there a moment, silent. I don't know what to say. Loki is freaking out behind me, and Thor... I reach out with my mind, grazing the edge of his thoughts. _He's... giving me time to adjust? Okay... that's actually kind of... sweet._

It's sinking in pretty well that I've found my fourth soulmate. _Okay... I can do this... I mean, Loki's been awesome, and Thor's his brother, so..._

"So... you're my soulmate, huh?" I ask Thor. I swear, I should be a poet.

"It appears so." His hand moves toward me, and I make the concerted effort not to flinch or pull back. He smoothes back a lock of hair that had come loose without my notice, tucking it behind my ear. His hand lingers a moment, framing my face, before returning to holding my hand against his chest.

"Loki... you can let go, you know?" I try for humor.

"I do not wish to." Is the short reply, fairly hissed in my ear.

"Why not?" I use my free hand to gently stroke along one of the forearms wrapped around my waist.

"He- ... Because I said so."

I can feel Loki's magic swell around us, and I recognize the spell work he's doing: he's trying to zap us away. I block his spell, giving a quick pinch to his arm as punishment. He hisses at the unexpected pain, and in irritation at my blocking him. One arm releases me, grabbing the hair tied up at the nape of my neck. He pulls my head back, hard enough that I feel it, but careful not to truly hurt me. I whimper at the rush of endorphins, and shiver in his arms.

"Loki!" Thor's yelling, but I can't bring myself to care. "What did you-"

"Quiet, brother." Loki kisses the top of my head, and I purr at him.

"What did y-" Thor's eyes drop to my face, the intensity in his eyes making me giggle. "What's going on?"

The sinister chuckle behind me sends shivers down my spine, and I feel Loki's breath brush along my skin, as he lowers his mouth to my ear. "You are mine, little one, are you not?"

I manage a whimper as the world narrows down to the three of us, feeling every inch of Loki along my back, and Thor's heart racing under my trapped hand.

"You see, _brother_ , this mortal is mine. Even now, she yearns to submit." His lips press against the curve of my neck, and I give in to the sensation. My eyes close, but they weren't doing much anyways, so I let them.

"I- I see." Thor's voice rumbles from somewhere, but I'm adrift. 

Every nerve seems to be firing, every sensation amplified. Loki walks the fine line between ecstasy and being overwhelming, his hand keeping tension in my hair, tugging slightly whenever I start to come down. When his teeth close on the curve of my neck, my knees give out under me, and I am lost.

* * *

When I drift back down enough to have some semblance of thought, I realize that I am tucked into Loki's bed, my head using his chest as a pillow. _Was I... was that subspace? Or was that a dream? That has to have been a dream. I mean... That was definitely a dream._

I'm almost sorry to realize that Thor had never been there, and that he wasn't my soulmate.

Lips press to my shoulder blade, and I hum my pleasure at... Loki? I snap out of subspace. _But... Loki's in front of me... Who?_ I turn to find myself staring into a familiar pair of brilliant blue eyes. "It wasn't a dream?" I blurt out.

"No, Lady Luna, it was not." His eyes stray to the spot Loki bit me, before returning to mine. "You... you found pleasure in that pain?"

I fight to maintain eye contact, despite being embarrassed. I'm surprised to find that there isn't judgment in his eyes; only curiosity. "Yes, I did."

"Mmmm..." He hums to himself. He reaches a hand out, and presses on the tender spot.

"Oh! God!" I fall forward, and he pulls me against him, rolling onto his back. 

"Yes, I am." He says offhandedly. "I wonder..." His hand returns to the tender spot, the other burrowing in my hair, slowly pulling as he tests his theory.

"Oh!" I shudder against him, my hands gripping his bare shoulders, trying to anchor my body as my mind flies.

"Thor." I hear Loki's voice beside me, but I don't dare turn my head.

"I like the way she writhes against me, when I do _this._ " He tugs my hair gently, and I whimper and shudder against him.

"Take care, Thor. You do not know what you are doing." Loki's hands carefully remove Thor's' from my hair, and brush the hand from my neck.

"I was learning rather well, was I not?" The question is directed at me - I purr in response.

"But do you know how to care for her when she is gone? Do you know how to guide her back in one piece? I will not allow you to harm her." Loki guides me onto his lap, tucking my head under his chin.

"I believe you to be jealous, Loki. I can care for her as well as you: I have had many women over my centuries of waiting."

"You are a fool, Thor." His hand smoothes my hair. _Loki's upset... why is my Loki upset?_ I can feel my eyelids growing heavy, sleep calling me like a siren.

"Loki-"

"She is tired. Get out so that we can rest."

"Loki-"

"Thor." His whisper is threaded with steel.

"We shall speak of this again tomorrow."

As the door closes, Loki finally begins to relax. 

"Loki?"

The hand hesitates, then moves to stroke my back. "Yes, my sweet?"

"It's going to be alright, you know. I... I like you. You are... It's going to be alright."

He is silent for a moment, and I'm half-asleep when he speaks again. "You know me too well..." He kisses the top of my head as I drift off. 

I'm not sure if he stopped there, as I was carried away by my dream, but I could swear I heard him say "Please don't leave me... I need you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Thunder only happens when it's raining / Players only love you when they're playing / Say women they will come and they will go / When the rain washes you clean, you'll know, you'll know…"  
> -Fleetwood Mac, Dreams
> 
>  
> 
> Shoutout to Quinn898 for getting my butt in gear... sorry it took so long!


	30. Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laura, thanks for giving me a kick in the pants to get going again. I know this is short, but it's a start, yes?

I wake tucked into the expanse of Loki's bed, the verdant green blankets coiled around me. I wriggle one arm out, patting for Loki.

...

I pat a little farther.

 _Gods dammit._ I pull my head out of the folds of the blanket, only to find Loki gone. I look around the room quickly, but Loki is nowhere to be seen. I stretch slowly, acknowledging the ache in my shoulder from the bite mark, and struggle out of my blanket burrito. I slip over to my room - _It's not the walk of shame if you're proud of spending the night in someone else's bed_ \- to shower and change into a fresh outfit. 

There's a breakfast sitting in front of my seat in the dining hall, but the seat next to mine (Loki's) is empty. I shrug, and sit down to a filling breakfast of whatever-the-heck-it-is. I don't recognize anything on my plate - as per usual - but I love it. As per usual. 

I finally head to the great hall. Frigga is there, talking with some young women of the court. I approach, and as her eyes find me, she waves off the other ladies.

"Luna, you're awake." There's no condemnation in her voice, despite the late hour of my rising, but there is a note of... tension? 

"What's wrong?" She hesitates, and I can feel the tension spreading from her to me. "Tell me."

"Loki and Thor have returned to Earth."

"Why?"

An elegant shrug. "The humans needed them."

"The Avengers couldn't handle it?"

A slight flinch. "They... Well, they tried. They took quite the beating."

"Fuck."

"Indeed."

"... I'm going to have to go back there."

"Oh?" Frigga doesn't look surprised in the least.

"Two of my soulmates just ran headfirst into battle to save the other two-"

"Three."

"Three?" _What?_

"Don't you mean three?"

"No? Why would I mean three exactly?"

"Oh... I just thought... with your marks..." Frigga was one of the few people who had seen my marks, thanks to her hand in designing my Asgardian wardrobe.

"Yes? I have four. Which makes two humans (more or less), and two Asgardians." I started pointing to them. "One." Stark's. "Two." Cap's. "Three." Loki's. "Four." Thor's.

Frigga glides behind me, draws my hair over my shoulder and out of the way, and skims a finger from the top of my spine down between my shoulder blades. "Five. Unless this is a tattoo?"

My hand flies to the back of my neck. _I never thought to look... and I've kept my distance from other people... Is it possible?_ "Well, fuck."

"Again: indeed." She started gliding away in that ethereal way of hers. "Heimdallr shall be ready for you."

"Thanks..." I said offhandedly. _Well, that's... unexpected. Who the hell could it be?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You know I'm a dreamer  
> But my heart's of gold  
> I had to run away high  
> So I wouldn't come home low.  
> I'm on my way,  
> I'm on my way,  
> Home Sweet Home."  
> ~Motley Crue, Home Sweet Home


	31. We will not be terrorized. We are terror itself.

I arrive just outside of Sudan an hour later, in an outfit of my own design... Okay, Lady Sif helped.... And Frigga... I digress. The carefully designed outfit gives me freedom of movement, but is light body armor, with hidden slits so that I can have free use of my wings if necessary. The fabric was woven with protective spells, and would be nigh-on impossible to tear for any human, but I'm not entirely sure how it'll hold up against alien tech. If it came right down to it, I would shift to dragon form to protect myself, and grab the outfit after the fighting was over - what? It's pretty darn sweet, so I'd be loathe to give it up. It's tailored and hugs my body, making it highly unlikely to catch on anything, running from the top of my neck down to my wrists and my ankles with no visible weaknesses. There are handmade gloves and boots designed to not only protect but also be malleable, making it easy to fight, climb... move any conceivable way. It should even protect me from any change in temperature, through a spell Frigga worked over it herself. 

I asked Heimdallr to pop me just across the border from Sudan after a quick briefing. Apparently alien tech had been brought into Sudan and refreshed the Sudanese civil war. Not only that, but the ethnic violence was starting to spread to neighboring countries. Heimdallr had been so kind as to drop me off in a neighboring country that was as of yet untouched by the fighting. Thank goodness for small blessings; I'd hate to be dropped off in the middle of a battle. And even if I wasn't thrown into the middle of it, the light show that came with the rainbow bridge was pretty hard to miss.

I look up at stars I haven't seen in what feels like a lifetime. "Well... No time like the present." Gathering my bearings, I head north towards Sudan.

I race along the tree branches, flitting between trees, making snarky Naruto references in my head at every turn. As I near what I estimate to be the Sudanese border, I slow, then stop. No point rushing right into it. I perch on a branch of one of the larger ebony trees, check to be sure I am the sole inhabitant of the tree, then pull a sandwich out of my pack. There is a panther sitting beneath a nearby baobab tree, feasting on some prey animal. It acknowledges me, then returns to its' meal after I send a soothing thought. I'm not here to hurt it; no, I am going after the people that deserve my wrath. I continue to scan the surrounding jungle every so often, ensuring that no one will sneak up on me.

I'm just contemplating boiling some water and making mac-n-cheese ( _Shut up_ you're _white trash_ ) when it happens. I'm suddenly whipped around by a hand on my arm, and pinned against the trunk of the tree I'd been sitting in. A hand closes around my neck, the magic woven into the fabric resisting the press, keeping my windpipe open.

"Andifuni ukukulimaza, kodwa ndiya kuyenza ukuba ndimele." Comes growling from the darkness. My inner translating magic (which I may or may not refer to as my Bablefish) quickly kicks in: " _I do not wish to hurt you, but I will if I must._

"Ndiyathemba ukuba sisithembiso." _I do hope that's a promise._

"Utheni?" _What did you say?_ The grip on me loosens almost imperceptibly. I've surprised him, but not enough to make him lose focus entirely.

"You heard me, boyo. Now let... go!" I break the hold on my throat and push him backwards. I feel my eyes start to glow as I use the sight of my dragon self to see in the darkness. A man stands before me. His body is molded in black, and I can feel energy emanating from both his body and his suit... _Not quite human, then, I would think... Who does he remind me of? OH! Toned down Batman. Totally toned down Batman... shorter ears, lost the cape. Edna Mode approves. Focus, Luna!_ "Well, this has been fun, but you're going to have to forget about this." I push into his mind, compelling him to forget everything about me and our encounter. Or at least, that was the plan. It feels like hitting a metaphysical brick wall, and the backlash slams me back into the trunk of the tree.

Everything goes black.

* * *

I wake on the floor of the jungle, a fire a couple feet away. I can smell my mac-n-cheese cooking... _What happened? I thought... Was someone else here?_ A quick scan with my mind reveals _nothing. I swear, I'm losing my mind..._

"You are awake." Comes from behind me in the same voice as earlier, though it's in English this time, the accent thick and velvety.

I whip around to find the man from earlier standing, looking down at me. _How did I miss him?_ He's striking, his strong features glowing as the firelight caresses his dark skin. He looks completely at home in the jungle, at ease as few would be surrounded by predators in the night. His brown eyes are shot with amber and green streaks, and alight with curiosity. There's wood in his arms, presumably for the fire...

"I'm not going to share my mac-n-cheese" is the first thing out of my mouth. Priorities; I got 'em.

His head cocks to one side, then he strolls over to the fire. "You'll have to fight me for it."

My jaw drops.

"Excuse the fuck outta me? That's MY mac-n-cheese!" 

"And I cooked it. Problem?"

"Oh, it's _on_!" By the time I find my feet, they're swept out from under me. We crash to the ground together, me on my back, my wrists gathered into one of his hands and pinned above my head as he straddles me.

 _We're just gonna ignore how hot that was for the moment..._ "You... You son-of-a-"

A finger is on my lips before I can finish talking. "Now, really, is that any way to talk to your soulmate? Besides, you're just mad I won the macaroni."

"Depends on the soulmate. And 'Sir, I have not yet begun to fight!' But more importantly - how did you move that fast? Humans never move that fast. Usain Fucking Bolt can't move that fast!"

An eyebrow raises. "Is that a race joke?"

"No, it's not a- fuck! NEVER MIND. The point is - how'd you-" I stop short.

It's finally hit me. "Did you say 'soulmate?'"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   * I am using the placement of Wakanda referenced in Civil War, as it is the most current... Which places it between Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya.
>   * The language being spoken is Xhosa (again, due to Civil War), but I do not speak the language, so I do apologize for the Google Translate translation, as it is not as accurate as it would be if I spoke Xhosa.
>   * The flora referenced in this chapter is based on South Sudan's flora, which is approximately where Wakanda would be, which may not be canon compliant
>   * The eye color was based on T'Challa's current eye color, but the other colors are nods to the eye color of past versions of the comic
>   * The chapter title is a T'Challa quote.
> 

> 
> Again, thanks to Laura for getting me moving again!

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Posts new chapter  
> 2) Bounces up and down  
> 3) Waits for reaction  
> 4) Looks to audience  
> 5) *crickets*
> 
> Seriously, though. Comments are super appreciated, and I always respond (b/c I have no life)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Very Avengers Halloween](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8385151) by [Luna Draconis (LunaDraconis)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaDraconis/pseuds/Luna%20Draconis)




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